The American Film Showcase (AFS) 2023 Pakistan has kicked off and is celebrating its tenthyear.After a successful opening in Karachi, the program’s second stop is being hosted by Forman Christian Collegein Lahore on Saturday, March 18. This year the U.S. Embassy Islamabad has partnered with Women Through Film/ Loug Trust for AFS 2023.
Five American documentary films of the American Film Showcase were screened and highly applauded by the audience of students and film enthusiasts.
The films of the showcase included Picture a Scientist (2020), which focuses on sexual harassment and gender inequality against womenin the sciences; Fake Famous(2021), which tells the true story of asocial experiment that reveals the behind-the-scenes of influencer fame; Lily Topples the World (2021), the coming-of-age story of the world’s greatest domino toppler– 20-year-old Lily Hevesh , told with artistry, passion, and unlikely triumph;Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street (2021), which takes viewers inside the minds and hearts of the Sesame Street creators, artists, writers, and educators who collaborated on one of the most influential programs in television history; and The Missfits (2021), which follows an all-girls robotics team which competes to smash stereotypes and prove themselves in a male-dominated field, while also trying to get through high school.
Simultaneously, at Avari Hotel, AFS U.S. envoy Ms. Laura Renee Nix, Actor and Producer Shaan Shahid, Award winning screenwriter Bee Gul, Dean of Department of Film & TV, NCA Lahore, Majid Saeed Khan and CEO, Evernew Studios/Picture & Evernew Entertainment Ltd., Sajjad Ahmed Gul headlined a panel discussion titled, Pakistani Cinema Goes Mainstream: Opportunities and Challenges.U.S. Consulate General Lahore Public Diplomacy Officer Paul Garr opened the panel discussion, “Films are an essential ingredient of any culture.
They allow us to explore our histories, our shared experiences, and inspire us to consider important aspects of the challenges our globe faces.
The U.S. Mission is pleased to sponsor the American Film Showcase which champions such freedom of expression.”
AFS 2023 also featured a documentary storytelling workshop for female university students, which was led by AFS Envoy Ms. Laura Nix.
This workshop trained participants about story elements during the development, production and post-production stages of making a film. Ms. Nix emphasized developing character arcs, constructing compelling narrative, dramatic tension, and the importance of visual storytelling. Participants also worked in groups to develop ideas for a documentary using the key skills learned during the workshop.
