Pakistani film Wakhri won the Best Director Feature Film award at the Yellowstone International Film Festival in India. It is directed by Iram Parveen Bilal and stars Faryal Mehmood, Gulshan Majeed, and Shees Sajjad Gul. Moreover, Wakhri also won the Community Award at the 40th VC Film Fest.
Pakistani cinema shines on the global stage as Wakhri secures the Best Director award at the fifth Yellowstone International Film Festival (YIFF) in New Delhi, India. Directed by Iram Parveen Bilal, the Pakistani film Wakhri stood out among many independent movies showcased at the event.
Iram expressed her gratitude on Instagram, thanking the festival’s jury, her team, and the audience. “Deep gratitude to my entire team, cast, and crew for enhancing my vision every step of the way,” she wrote.
The festival’s founder, Tushar Tyagi, also praised Wakhri for its compelling story. He highlighted it as one of the most anticipated films of the event, adding that it had already made waves at festivals like SXSW and the Red Sea International Film Festival. Wakhri was also awarded the Community Award at the 40th VC Film Fest.
The film stars Faryal Mehmood and tells the story of a teacher-turned-influencer navigating the challenges of fame and societal judgment. Filmmaker Iram Parveen Bilal takes inspiration from the story of Qandeel Baloch in crafting this compelling drama. Baloch was Pakistan’s first social media celebrity. She often used her platform to speak out against the patriarchy until her brother murdered her in an act of “honor” killing.
Her life planted the seeds from which spring this film’s widowed schoolteacher Noor and her queer best friend Guchhi. To live out their dreams and aspirations, the pair leads double lives. In bright makeup and flashy wigs, Noor and Guchhi adopt brash, fearless social media personas. The characters also represent a freedom so enticing that people can’t look away. Too often the cinemascape has portrayed Muslim women and queer people from the Global South as victimized objects of pity.
Moreover, Wakhri has a different tale to tell, one that celebrates the resilience with which its protagonists demand equality within a flawed society. With films like Wakhri gaining international recognition, she believes Pakistani cinema is reaching new heights.
