Here are 10 events we’re looking forward to at this year’s World Culture Festival in Karachi
The festival's second edition runs from Oct 30 to Dec 7, bringing together artists from over 140 countries.
The European Film Festival is coming back to Pakistan for its fourth edition in November. After bringing the magic of European cinema to Islamabad, Gujrat, Peshawar and Quetta in its previous run, the festival is set to return to the capital for this edition’s first leg on November 7 and 8.
The event will be held at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts, entry is free and registration is not required to visit. The programme has also been released and includes four full-length features, five short films, and two films for children and families. The festival also has a social dance, a dramatic reading and a mixer for filmmakers and industry professionals.
Behind the Curtain of High Mountains - (Czech Republic)
Nov 7 - 4pm to 6pm
A documentary on the life of Czech mountaineer Dina Štěrbová, the first woman in the world to climb the 8,000-metre peak Cho Oyu in the Himalayas in 1984. The film follows her adventures in the mountains and her humanitarian work in Gilgit Baltistan, for which she was awarded the Sitara-i-Khidmat in 2016. Now 81, Štěrbová’s mountaineering days are behind her, but she continues her mission to help people in remote villages.
Without Air - (Hungary)
Nov 7 - 6pm to 8pm
The story of a teacher whose life gets upturned by an angry parent, Without Air follows a public school literature teacher who assigns her students a film to watch on the life of one of the poets in their course. One of her students’ parents objects to the assignment, accusing her of promoting immodesty and inviting a media storm. This forces the teacher to choose between fleeing the frenzy or fighting to clear her name.
That They May Face the Rising Sun - (Ireland)
Nov 8 - 2pm to 4pm
An award-winning film based on an award-winning book, That They May Face the Rising Sun is about life in the quiet Irish countryside. The film follows a couple who move from London to a rural community in search of a different, peaceful style of living. The movie shows a year in their lives as they become one with the community.
The Olive Tree - (Spain)
Nov 8 - 6pm to 8pm
The story of a young girl willing to go the ends of the earth — or at least the ends of Europe — for her grandfather, Olive Tree follows 20-year-old Alma as she seeks to find and recover an ancient olive tree her family had sold against the wishes of her dying grandfather. She hopes that finding it might get the old man to eat again and maybe even speak after a protracted silence.
The festival will screen five short films from a different European studios. Short films will be shown on the second day (Nov 8) between 1pm and 2pm. The films include:
Don’t Worry - (Germany/Croatia)
Thermostat 6 - (France)
Geo Engineering - (Germany)
So Many Forests - (France)
A Sunny Day - (France)
Itty Bitty Princess - (Finland)
Nov 8 - 11am to 1pm
The story of a little girl living her best life as the only child of two doting parents. When she’s told she’s about to become a big sister, she leaves the house to find her own castle, with a magic dog in tow. She learns, however, that her world only gets bigger when she agrees to share.
My Dad is a Sausage - (Belgium)
Nov 8 - 4pm to 6pm
A heartwarming tale of the love between a father and his daughter, My Dad is a Sausage follows Paul, a banker who quits his stable, well-paying job to pursue his dream of acting. When everyone around him thinks he’s lost his mind, his daughter Zoe supports him through a turbulent entry into a new career.
After its stop in Islamabad, the European Film Festival will be heading to Karachi on Nov 15 and 16 for a similarly packed schedule of acclaimed European films and shorts, to be shown at the Karachi Film School. The festival’s third and final stop will be Lahore on Nov 22 and 23, where the Alhamra Arts Council will host the event.