Pakistani students win film award in US but cannot attend ceremony

The FFTY or Film Festival for Talented Youth was held recently in Seattle Washington. A short film by Danish Qasim from Iqra University won the Best Audience Award in one category. The film was written and directed by Qasim along with five team members.

The 20 minute film revolves around the social, psychological, and economic effects of drone attacks on people in the tribal areas where the attacks occur..The film show the problems faced by families who have become victims of the attack and also how terrorist groups use families for their own interests..The filmmakers were all denied visas by the U.S. to appear at the awards ceremony.

Qasim said: “If we got the visa then it would have been easy for us to frame our point of view in front of the other selected youth filmmakers,” “The film gained interest from the audience across the globe compelling festival administrators to give Audience Award to the film,” Apparently U.S. officials are not anxious for U.S. audiences to hear Qasim's point of view. For more see this article. I have appended a very short clip from the film.