The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow! Nurturing them in a way that allows them to put their best foot forward, while being relevant to their passion and interests is a great way to engage them in constructive activities. NASFF-National Amateur Short Film Festival 2021, an initiative started by DG ISPR, Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar truly allows raw talent to be scouted.
NASFF initiated in November 2020 enabled the talented youth to make short films around the theme, “Reimagining Pakistan: Aligning Perceptions with Reality”. Further sub-themes were also provided to help guide the budding filmmakers to produce something original and gripping.
What really was a great booster in the process was the contribution of celebrity ambassadors, who carried out webinars and visits across 72 institutions highlighting the purpose of the initiative and encouraging them to take part in it. The celebrity ambassadors included big names like Shaan Shahid, Humayun Saeed, Mahira Khan, Wahaj Ali, Bilal Abbas Khan, Iqra Aziz, Farhan Saeed, Zara Noor Abbas and Mashal Khan. The ambassadors served as mentors for the young students emphasizing the use of media tools and the role that they can play if used properly.
The jury, comprised of recognized names from both the media industry and academia: Ms Shireen Pasha (ex HoD NCA), Syed Noor (Director), Saba Hameed (Actor) and Talha Ali Khan (ex NCA) and others.
An astounding number of 1100+ entries was achieved at the end, out of which 15 were selected as winners. The best part? Winning is not the end but rather a beginning to a great journey; the winners are being sent to the New York Film Academy, Australia for year-long courses in filmmaking and screenwriting. Scouting talent and providing them with resources to further enhance their skills can really give us a win-win result, which this initiative has proven to be.
In honour of the young winners and their encouraging families, a ceremony was arranged recently, which was attended by DG ISPR Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, who also announced the theme for NASFF 2022: ‘Ocean to Mountains’. The efforts of Director Productions ISPR- Brig Imran Naqvi and Assistant Director Events and Marketing- Ahmed Abid also played a great role in transforming the project into a success.
The fact that the project has become a regular feature allows young students and future filmmakers to stay engaged with the process and try their best to create something that is original, patriotic and uplifting. The initiative has proven to actually translate the dreams of the younger generation into a reality.
Looking forward to a better and brighter media scape for our future generations!
