Gandhara Independent Film Festival

Gandhara Independent Film Festival Founded by Cirque Films
GIFF - Open for Submissions 2026
https://www.gandharafilmfestival.com/festival

Founded by Cirque Films in 2020, GIFF is a standalone platform for independent filmmaking, creative expression, and voicing your thoughts along with immersive entertainment. GIFF supports emerging and established voices, discover award-winning filmmakers, curate innovative and interactive experiences, and introduce new ideas through premieres, exhibitions and panel discussions.

As part of GIFF’s pre-festival activities for 2027, we are proud to continue our Academic Run. This consists of a series...
14/06/2026

As part of GIFF’s pre-festival activities for 2027, we are proud to continue our Academic Run. This consists of a series of screenings and conversations designed to engage young filmmakers and students with independent cinema.

Our third academic screening was held at Corosova Film School, where we screened a selection of films followed by an insightful discussion on independent cinema.

Saad Hashim is a wonderful initiative founded by passionate filmmakers, and GIFF is proud to collaborate with like-minded cinephiles who are working to elevate independent films and promote filmmakers in Pakistan.

Gandhara Film Festival | Gandhara Independent Film Festival | Academic | Film Screening | Film School | Cirque Films

*** Karachi Based OnlyInternship for people interested in event planning and production, offering hands-on experience wi...
08/06/2026

*** Karachi Based Only

Internship for people interested in event planning and production, offering hands-on experience with GIFF’s operations and production team. The role includes administrative support, logistics and day-to-day event operations.

Gandhara Film Festival | Gandhara Independent Film Festival | Production Interns | Festival 2026 | Film Festival | Pakistan | Cirque Films

AnnouncementGIFF welcomes a new member onboard Nirmal Bano is a filmmaker based in Lahore, Pakistan, with experience ac...
06/06/2026

Announcement
GIFF welcomes a new member onboard

Nirmal Bano is a filmmaker based in Lahore, Pakistan, with experience across screenwriting, direction, sound design, editing, and assistant direction. She began her career in 2017 as a sound designer before moving into screenwriting, contributing to critically acclaimed feature films that have been recognised locally and internationally. Since 2023, Bano has expanded her practice into direction, creating short films that explore feminist, ecological, social, and historical themes through a blend of fiction, folklore, fantasy, and documentary form. In addition to her filmmaking work, Nirmal has taught film theory and history courses at the National College of Arts’ Film and Television department.

Gandhara Film Festival | Gandhara Independent Film Festival | Film Programmer | Screenwriter | Filmmaker | Pakistan

From the archives - Festival 2023, Ed.4A night to remember 🥁👏🎬This musical documentary film had its Pakistan premiere at...
04/06/2026

From the archives - Festival 2023, Ed.4

A night to remember 🥁👏🎬

This musical documentary film had its Pakistan premiere at the Gandhara Independent Film Festival (GIFF), at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Karachi. The screening took place in October 2023 festival and was well-received, closing to a full house and winning a Special Mention Award. The premiere concluded with a live SAMA’A (Qawali) mehfil by Najmuddin and Saifuddin qawwal.

A Initiative

Gandhara Film Festival | Gandhara Independent Film Festival | Film Festival | Pakistan

GIFF is proud to celebrate the team ⚡️Afreen Zehra is an independent filmmaker & creative media professional with a deca...
01/06/2026

GIFF is proud to celebrate the team ⚡️

Afreen Zehra is an independent filmmaker & creative media professional with a decade of experience from Karachi. Her documentary film is awarded Runner-Up Award by International Committee of the Red Cross. She has been working with GIFF since 2024.

Gandhara Film Festival | Gandhara Independent Film Festival | Team | Media & Communications | Film Festival | Cirque Films | Pakistan

Gandhara Independent Film Festival, Edition 7 is just round the corner!Don’t miss out the deadline to submit your short ...
30/05/2026

Gandhara Independent Film Festival, Edition 7 is just round the corner!

Don’t miss out the deadline to submit your short film & be a part of everything more exciting than last year.

Submit Now
www.filmfreeway.com/gandharafilmfestival

Gandhara Festival | Gandhara Independent Film Festival | Submit Your Films | Film Festival | Hybrid | Event | Cirque Films | Pakistan

Highlights from Cinematic Tuner, an engaging and educational collaboration between Gandhara Independent Film Festival & ...
23/05/2026

Highlights from Cinematic Tuner, an engaging and educational collaboration between Gandhara Independent Film Festival &

Gandhara Film Festival | Gandhara Independent Film Festival | GIFFXKFS | Films Screening | Discussion | Indie Cinema | Pakistan | Cirque Films

AnnouncementGIFF welcomes a new member onboardBeenish Umer Beenish Umer is a creative producer, production designer, ed...
20/05/2026

Announcement

GIFF welcomes a new member onboard

Beenish Umer

Beenish Umer is a creative producer, production designer, educator, and social impact advocate whose work spans feature films, short films, children’s content, music videos, and television commercials, all distinguished by meticulous attention to detail. She has also served as Program Director and Dean of Studies at the Karachi Film School, mentoring emerging filmmakers and nurturing the next generation of storytellers. Beyond film and education, Beenish is the founder and chairperson of Rah-e-Amal Trust, where she combines creativity with a commitment to social responsibility and meaningful change, guided by a strong belief in media’s power to shape society.

Gandhara Film Festival | Gandhara Independent Film Festival | Festival Producer | Pakistan

20/05/2026

GIFF x KFS are coming together for an evening dedicated to independent cinema featuring international short films, creative discussions, and an interactive session with & exploring storytelling, filmmaking, visual language, and the evolving world of independent film culture.

This collaboration between KFS and GIFF is about creating spaces where filmmakers and film lovers can experience cinema together, not just watch it.

Location: Karachi Film School (KFS)
Day: Saturday, 23rd May 2026
Time: 3:30 PM

Whether you create films or simply love them, this session is for you.

Call for Entries 2026 GIFF looks forward to seeing all the submissions and welcoming you to the 7th edition of this am...
19/05/2026

Call for Entries 2026

GIFF looks forward to seeing all the submissions and welcoming you to the 7th edition of this amazing experience that is the Gandhara Independent Film Festival.

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