Zarrar Kahn’s cinematic masterpiece ‘In Flames’ marks the official film selection for the 2024 Oscars Best International Feature Film category.
The film captured the life of a mother and daughter who were broken after the death of the family patriarch and they need strength by their bonding with each other to survive in the malevolent forces.
Mohammed Ali Naqvi, the chair of the Pakistani Academy Selection Committee, told Variety: “‘In Flames’ has resonated profoundly with our committee members, as it beautifully encapsulates the essence of our culture, art, and cinematic craftsmanship.”
“We believe that the narrative, performances, direction, and every element that went into the making of your film make it the perfect candidate to represent the best of Pakistani cinema on a global platform.”
Besides this, there were 45 movies from across the world have been selected for the Oscar award.
However, ‘In Flames’ also won the best feature award at the International South Asian Film Festival Canada.
The film’s official shared the joy of Zarar Khan and Mohammad Ali Hashmi, expressing their gratitude to ISAFF for this incredible honour.
Anam Abbas produced the movie, with Shant Joshi, Todd Brown, and Maxime Cottray as executive producers. The film is featured in XYZ’s New Visions lineup. As reported by Variety, XYZ came on board with the project the previous year.
In a statement, film director Zarrar Kahn said: “I’m deeply honored that our film has been recognized by Pakistan’s Oscar committee. We’re currently self-distributing the film in Pakistan, as despite clearance from the local censor board, we were considered too controversial by local distributors — so we’re doing it ourselves. The response from Pakistani audiences has been rapturous — and we’re just grateful to be able to show the film in the city it was made in.”
He added that the movie was an urgent call-to-action, exposing the brutality of the patriarchy and the power of community. “In today’s divided world, it offers solace to the oppressed — and tells them that hope can never be extinguished.”
