Pakistan Cinema: 1947-1997

First published in 1997 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of Pakistan, the book features a review of films before Partition, plots of great cinema classics, trivia, and cinema lore. It contains anecdotes and reminiscences about the people who shaped the entertainment industry, as well as interviews with directors and producers. But alongside the trivia is a clever synthesis juxtaposing the artistic development of the cinematic world with the overall social development in the country. It shows how the narrow self-interest of the ruling clique clashed with the creative potential of the artistic world, stifling originality and all but destroying the film industry. The narrative is punctuated with over a hundred photographs and contains an index of all the films made to date.

In this second edition of Mushtaq Gazdar's seminal work, I. A. Rehman, Haris Gazdar, and Aisha Gazdar provide an overview of the two decades since, marking seventy years of the country's film industry. The filmography has also been updated to include the last two decades.


Author: Mushtaq Gazdar
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 11/01/2019
Pages: 434
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.25lbs
Size: 9.80h x 7.40w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780199408528

About the Author

Mushtaq Gazdar

Mushtaq Gazdar (1937-2000) was one of the foremost filmmakers of Pakistan. With diplomas in film technique from London and Tokyo and his own production house, Films D'art, he scripted, directed, and produced more than 175 short feature films, documentaries, and newsreels in the 1970s-1990s. His films have been screened at international film festivals and his docudrama They are Killing the Horse won him the coveted Grand Prix at the Tampere International Film Festival in Finland. In 1992, he was awarded the prestigious Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan for his contribution to the art of filmmaking. His films have twice been awarded the film industry's famed Nigar Award for the best locally produced documentary film. He has also been associated with international film productions, including the Emmy Award winner Traffik.

He was a founding member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and was also on the governing body of the Arts Council of Pakistan and chairman of its affiliated body, Film and Video Forum. Mushtaq Gazdar conducted short film courses and also contributed articles in the local Press.