
Pakistani Short Film ‘1978’ To Feature At The Locarno Film Festival
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’.
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.
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.
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