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Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has directed the enactment of the country’s first royalty law for the film industry, while approving a rebate plan for the Punjabi and Urdu films to be made in the province.

This was stated by Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb while presiding over the maiden meeting of the Punjab Film Authority in Lahore.

The proposed royalty law for the film industry will be presented at the next meeting of the authority, Ms Aurangzeb was quoted as saying in a press release on Sunday.

The rebate for the films made in Punjab will be 35pc for the Punjabi and 20pc for the Urdu films, it said.

The rebate policy is expected to provide financial support to filmmakers, encourage quality film production and attract investment to the industry.

The meeting also decided to introduce an online one-window facility to help filmmakers identify suitable shooting locations.

Other key decisions aimed at reviving the film industry, promoting modern filmmaking and restoring Lahore’s position as a centre of the country’s film industry were also taken at the meeting.

Being dubbed as the biggest-ever provincial intervention to revive the cinematic heritage and establish it as a hub of film, drama, culture and tourism, a Film City is also set to be inaugurated on December 15 in Lahore.

The proposed Film City will feature a film and music school, a film museum, a film trading house, a post-production facility, a studio complex, state-of-the-art film studios and Pakistan’s largest convention centre.

The Film City Authority’s budget of over Rs589 million for the financial year 2026-27 was referred to the financing committee for review.

Approval was granted to recruit 26 employees for the film authority in the first phase against 53 sanctioned posts. The authority’s board will have the power to make appointments and dismissals.

The meeting also reviewed progress on the establishment of six committees, including the Punjab Film Fund Committee.

It also approved measures for the restoration of old cinemas, installation of solar systems and provision of affordable entertainment facilities to the public. The meeting decided to introduce an online booking system for cinemas.

A training programme was also approved to enhance the skills of young filmmakers, with international experts to provide training in modern filmmaking techniques.

Ms Aurangzeb said the chief minister wanted Punjab to become a global-standard screen tourism destination within five years.

She said Punjab’s unique culture and heritage would be showcased to the world through the camera lens.

“Film City will be a complete ecosystem for reviving the local film industry, attracting investment, creating employment opportunities and providing quality and affordable entertainment to the public,” she said.

Originally published in Dawn, October 26th, 2026