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Sarmad Khoosat’s Lali has officially made its world premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, and the filmmaker ensured the moment was shared with the very people who helped bring it to life.

Screened on Thursday in Berlinale’s Panorama section, Lali marked a historic milestone as the first fully Pakistani feature film to premiere at the festival. While the Berlinale has previously showcased Pakistani co-productions, never before has a film so deeply rooted in local talent, storytelling and production taken centre stage.

As the 3:30pm premiere in Berlin (7:30pm PKT) unfolded, social media quickly filled with images and videos that felt less like a conventional screening or a red carpet appearance and more like a collective victory lap for Pakistan’s independent film community. Actors, writers, assistant directors, producers, and key crew members — including executive producer Tooba Siddiqui — posed on the red carpet together, transforming it into a striking showcase of Pakistani creative talent.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film follows Zeba, a young woman newly married to Sajawal, a deeply insecure man whose anxieties spiral into paranoia. Played by Mamya Shajaffar, Zeba enters marriage already shadowed by whispers and superstition: three of her former suitors have died under mysterious circumstances, earning her the unsettling reputation of a cursed bride.

Shajaffar, dressed in a custom Kamiar Rokni ensemble for the premiere, reflected on the moment in an emotional social media post, writing, “Grateful is an understatement. Thank you @berlinale. I’ve tasted it and it’s addictive. Thank you @lalibykhoosatfilms @sarmadkhoosat.”

The celebrations began even before the screening. On the eve of the premiere, the Lali team was hosted by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Germany, Saqlain Syedah, sharing a warm group photograph from the gathering that captured the sense of camaraderie surrounding the film’s debut.

The film’s selection had first been announced on February 5 for the 10-day festival running from February 12 to 22. Following its press and industry screening on February 14, Lali is scheduled for additional festival screenings through the closing days of Berlinale.

For Khoosat, the premiere continues a strong international trajectory. His previous projects — Joyland, which he produced and which won the Jury Prize at Cannes, and Zindagi Tamasha, which he directed — were both selected as Pakistan’s official submissions to the Academy Awards. With Lali, the filmmaker adds another milestone, this time placing an entirely homegrown Pakistani production on one of world cinema’s most prestigious stages.