Hamza Bangash’s short film ‘1978’, which is based on a young Goan Christian rock star, and depicts  Karachi city during the late ’70s, is set for its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival 2020.

The Pakistani short film titled ‘1978’, written and directed by Hamza Bangash, is set for its world premiere on the global stage at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, in August 2020.

Hamza kept this project a secret from the public, and only announced this news through his Instagram account when the movie got selected to premiere at the Locarno Film Festival 2020. He was pleased that his hard work on this secret project will be showcased at the global stage.

He then went on to describe the unique challenges that he had to face to complete this project, as this is based on a late ‘70s Karachi city, which no longer exists. A city that in his words was ‘once the Paris of the East’.

View this post on Instagram

I am thrilled to finally be able to announce that my secret film project, 1978, will be having its' World Premiere in-competition at Locarno Film Festival 2020!!! 😍🎉 @filmfestlocarno There is so much I want to say about this film, and so many people without whom it wouldn't have been possible. This is by far my most ambitious project. We built a disco. Recorded original songs. Non-actors. The list goes on. But the first thing that comes to mind is the two men who made this film happen. My incredible executive producers, Rashid Maqsood Hamidi and @abidazizmerchant Making a film takes a village, but this one felt like it took an entire city. Which makes sense, since the film is about a city-Karachi- that no longer exists. A city that was once the "Paris of the East" Now, more than ever, Pakistan needs a film about a Goan-Christian Rockstar who refuses to back down! Introducing the amazing CAST/ CREW of 1978! 😍😍😍 CAST: @Muhammadzeeshan80 as Lenny D’Souza @Sherwanthony as Thomas D’Souza @RubyaChaudhry as Dina @NKama012 as AJ PRODUCTION: Executive Producer: @RMHamidi, @abidazizmerchant Producer: @Caroln92 Assistant Director: @madhashmi @UmaimaTaj Associate Producer: @mo_sha_hu Cinematography: @YasirKhanPakistan Production Design: @Hiraa.m ,Tanveer Abbas, Haris Khatri Line Producer: @KanzahAnis Production Manager: Sunny Solangi Production Runners: Muhammad Asif, Ajay Kumar, Sujal Kumar, Faisal, Shehroz, Salman Sound Designer: Odinn Ingibergsson Location Sound: Faraz Qamar Wardobe Stylist: @Swearuponcoco Assistant Stylist: Zainab Masood Hair & Make-up: Sabs The Salon, Nanson Gill Leo Hair Dtylist: Suleman Javed SFX Make-up: @DanialShahzadKhan 2nd Assistant Director: @Falviiii 1st Assistant Camera: Zeeshan Saeed Barvi, Anwar Owaisi Gaffer: Saleem Rajput Production Assistant: Anas Siddiqui D.I.T: Michael Aziz, Waqas Younus Intern: Moazz Afridi Steadicam Operator: Faraz Alam Location Managaer: Mehmood Chaudery Colourist: Shahzeb Hussain VFX: Bilal Ghouri Featuring Music By: Clifford Lucas Original Music Design: Jong Ho Choi Additional Music By: @salmanahmedb Additional Lyrics: @iammehreen Titles Designer: @sillloo

A post shared by Hamza Bangash (@hamzabang) on Jul 13, 2020 at 5:46am PDT

According to him, this is his most ambitious project, as they recorded original songs for this short film, built a ‘70s themed disco, and the list goes on and on. Hamza especially thanked the two men who put in a great effort to make this film a reality, namely Abid Aziz Merchant and Rashid Maqsood Hamidi, who are both executive producers of the project.

Apart from this film, Hamza has also sent his previous works on the global stage including ‘Dia’ (2018) at the Locarno and ‘Stray Dogs Come out at Night’ (2020) at the Palm Film Festival.

The film features Muhammad Zeeshan (as Lenny D’Souza), Sherwyn Anthony (as Thomas D’Souza), and Rubya Chaudhry (as Dina) in lead roles. The music for the film is provided by Clifford Lucas, while Carol Ann is the producer of the film.

View this post on Instagram

This is me on the toughest shooting day of #1978thefilm We were on hour 15 of an 18 hour day – and only had this location for 24 hours. We had to convert it into a TV studio and then a disco within that time period (and also get in our shots lolol). We had dozens of extras who were getting exhausted – and me who had never had more than 4 cast members on any of my shoots before. To say I was feeling overwhelmed would be an understatement. . Thats where I want to thank some people who I didnt mention in my last post – First off is @swearuponcoco – our costume stylist + hair and make up + life support. Samiya is the secret sauce behind some of Pakistans biggest projects including @cakethefilmofficial and #Churails . She came on board 1978 with more enthusiasm than I could have expected, and despite being used to working on bigger budgets – she made literal magic happen within our meager resources. She is one of those people who can ELEVATE a project and I am so blessed she joined the team. 🙏❤ . Because of the small scale of my other projects, I never really gave due credit to the assistant directing team – but 1978 wouldnt have been possible without the amazing efforts of @madhashmi @umaimataj and @falviiii . Their dedication and commitment made the impossible, possible. Special shout out to @madhashmi for putting up with my fragile directors ego with a smile and drugging me with caffeine🙌😍 . Finally, the cast of film. Auditions were a bit of a nightmare, and when @muhammadzeeshan80 walked in – I knew we had found our Lenny. His commitment to the project, his willingness and vulnerability – make this film. I'm so proud of his performance. . @sherwanthony in the co-lead – Sherwyn never wanted to be an actor, but I knew from when we met that he was our Thomas. Sherwyn is one of the kindest, most genuine people I have met – and I am so excited for the world to see his performance. . @rubyachaudhry – I first saw her in East is East and knew I wanted to work with her after that. 1978 is the project that brought us together- and I honestly dont think anyone else could have pulled off the role of Dina 🙌 . More thanks in next post. Much love + gratitude.

A post shared by Hamza Bangash (@hamzabang) on Jul 18, 2020 at 1:32am PDT

The film’s plot revolve around Lenny D’Souza, a young Goan Christian rock star, who is facing obstacles in an attempt to reinvent himself, while around him the Pakistani society is changing drastically. The movie is inspired by Norman D’Souza, a legendary Goan Christian rock star during the ’70s in Pakistan. Hamza feels privileged in telling the story of lost culture inspired by ‘Uncle Norman’s’ (he affectionately called him) experiences.

Hamza’s short film has already been included in the nominees for the prestigious award Pardino d’oro for Best International Short Film, as well as for the Pardino d’argento award. The Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland will take place from 5-15 August.

Read: Falak Shabir Proposes Sara Khan & She Said YES!

Also read: ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ Has Gotten Green Signal From Senate Human Rights Committee!