Pakistani films that caught global spotlight in 2022

This combination of pictures created on December 21, 2022 of four Pakistani movie stills shows (clockwise from top left) scenes from the short film Sandstorm released in September 2021, feature film Kamli released in June 2022, The Legend of Maula Jatt released in October 2022, and Joyland released in November 2022. (AN Photo)
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Updated 21 December 2022
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Pakistani films that caught global spotlight in 2022

  • The year 2022 has been ecstatic in terms of Pakistani cinema making waves worldwide
  • ‘Joyland,’ ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt,’ ‘Kamli’ became face of local cinema around the globe

KARACHI: The year 2022 was groundbreaking for Pakistani cinema in terms of its representation and recognition abroad.

From Saba Qamar-starrer ‘Kamli’ to ‘Joyland,’ the critically acclaimed Pakistani Oscar entry, to the reboot of ‘Maula Jatt,’ Arab News Pakistan brings you a list of Pakistani films that received international recognition in 2022 for their powerful storylines, brilliant skills of actors and the themes they were centered around.

Kamli




This screengrab, taken on December 14, 2022, from the trailer of the Pakistani movie "Kamli" features actors Sania Saeed (right) and Saba Qamar (left). (Photo courtesy: Khoosat Films)

Sarmad Sultan Khoosat’s film Kamli, which released in cinemas across Pakistan on June 3, is set for its European premiere next month at the 2023 International Film Festival Rotterdam’s (IFFR) the Limelight Programme. Prior to this, the film was screened at the Indus Valley International Film Festival (IVIFF) 2022 in Chandigarh, India.

Saba Qamar, who plays the lead role in Kamli, won the IVIFF 2022 Best Actress trophy for her performance. Kamli revolves around a woman’s struggle between loyalty to long-missing husband and her carnal desires. Besides Qamar, the critically and commercially acclaimed Pakistani movie starred Sania Saeed, Nimra Bucha and debutant Hamza Khawaja.

The film received immense appreciation after its release in Pakistan and had a full-house throughout its run in cinemas across the country.

Speaking of Pakistani cinema getting recognition abroad, Qamar told Arab News in an earlier interview: “Our dramas are popular beyond borders but films like The Legend of Maula Jatt, Kamli and Joyland represent the best of Pakistani cinema abroad.”

Joyland




This image released by Khoosat Films shows a scene from the film "Joyland." (Photo courtesy: Khoosat Films via AP)

Joyland, Pakistan’s official entry for the upcoming Academy Awards, made the most headlines this year. The movie first got critical acclaim in May after it won the Cannes “Queer Palm” prize for the best feminist-themed movie as well as the Jury Prize in the “Un Certain Regard” competition, a segment focusing on young, innovative cinema talent.

Joyland left Cannes audiences slack-jawed and admiring, and got a nearly 10-minute-long standing ovation from the opening night’s crowd.

The movie released across Pakistan, except the Punjab province, on November 18, after much speculation at home. While makers continue to fight for its release in the most populous Pakistani province, the film is headed to Sundance Film Festival 2023 that will take place from January 19 till January 29.

Besides, Joyland also screened at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, where it won the ‘Best Film’ from the subcontinent for 2022. Among other international festivals, the movie had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this year.

The Legend of Maula Jatt




This handout picture shows the movie poster of Pakistan's Punjabi film "The Legend of Maula Jatt" released in October 2022. (Photo courtesy: Online)

Bilal Lashari’s long-awaited cinematic outing, The Legend of Maula Jatt broke all previous box office records for any Pakistani movie, not just at home but across the globe. Besides Pakistan, the film released in the Middle East, the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

A reboot of the 1979 cult classic, Maula Jatt, the Punjabi action film starred Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi in key roles. Touted as the most expensive film in Pakistan’s history, the film crossed the budget of almost 50 crores ($2.2 million), including marketing and advertising, according to the film’s distributor Nadeem Mandviwalla.

The film’s plot revolves around Maula Jatt, a fierce prizefighter with a tortured past who seeks vengeance against his arch nemesis, Noori Natt, considered the most feared warrior in Punjab.

According to official numbers, the film crossed the figure of 200 crores ($8.8 million) worldwide, while it crossed 95 crores ($4.2 million) in Pakistan as of December 19.

Sandstorm




This still from the Pakistani short film Sandstorm, released in September 2021, shows the protagonist Zara sitting in an empty classroom. (Photo courtesy: YouTube/Seemab Gul)

Pakistan director Seemab Gul’s short film, Sandstorm won big at Oscar-qualifying festivals, HollyShorts and the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) 2022. Sandstorm emerged as one of the top three winners at HollyShorts 2022, while it won the Best Live Action title at RIIFF 2022.

The short film had its world premiere at the 78th edition of the Venice Film Festival in September 2021. Since then, it has made it to nearly 50 festivals worldwide, including the prestigious Sundance Film Festival and Ischia Film Festival (IFF) in 2022, where it bagged three trophies.

Written and directed by London-based filmmaker Gul, Sandstorm revolves around a schoolgirl in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, who shares a dance video with a boy she meets online. The story takes a sinister turn, when the boy blackmails her with the video.

“It is wonderful to represent Pakistan and most importantly, a female story from the female perspective, which is actually rare in the mainstream industry,” Gul told Arab News in an interview in August.

The filmmaker is now eyeing the Oscars’ shortlist, for which only 10 films will be selected by the end of January. Out of these 10, only five are nominated for the award.


Kevin Hart brings laughs and life lessons to Abu Dhabi with ‘Acting My Age’

Updated 03 May 2025
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Kevin Hart brings laughs and life lessons to Abu Dhabi with ‘Acting My Age’

ABU DHABI: Kevin Hart returned to the stage at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Friday with his signature energy and a new show, following his successful performance there in 2023.

“It’s good to be back,” Hart said, kicking off a night of relentless humor and heartfelt honesty.

As part of the Abu Dhabi comedy festival, Hart performed a classic American standup show mixed with a lot of self-deprecating humor. 

Titled “Acting my Age,” the show is themed around understanding old age and realizing that aging is about gaining experience and wisdom. 

With jokes about his endless injuries and health problems, Hart’s signature facial expressions and animated vocals brought the show to life, and left members of the audience in tears of laughter. 

The show was targeted at an older crowd, and Hart was able to capture their attention with his personal anecdotes. 

Crowd work and audience interactions were missing from his performance and some people yelled out to grab his attention, but he mostly ignored these callouts. 

As usual, his line delivery was on point and he was able to easily transition from one story to the next while maintaining running gags throughout the show, which lasted about an hour. 

Opening for Hart were a group of comedians who go by the name of “Plastic Cup Boyz.” The trio, consisting of Joey Wells, Will “Spank” Horton and Na’im Lynn, delivered an entertaining and captivating opener for the show. 

Hart ended his performance with heartfelt sentiment, saying: “The win in life is old age. Old age is not guaranteed.” 


Maya Akra on the Oscars and making space for Arab voices in Hollywood

Updated 03 May 2025
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Maya Akra on the Oscars and making space for Arab voices in Hollywood

DUBAI: Lebanese actress and comedian Maya Akra has spent years carving out her niche across Beirut and New York. This year, that journey reached a new milestone when “Anora,” a film she appears in, won five Oscars, including Best Picture.

But for Akra, the recognition is just one part of a much longer story.

“I was raised by ‘Comedy Central’ (and) … ‘The Nanny.’ Fran Drescher was my hero,” Akra told Arab News. Her early love of performance was sparked at home, where her father, a filmmaker, recorded endless hours of her childhood on VHS. “Being in front of the camera has been my reality since I was a baby. I have hours of footage from my childhood, sometimes just talking endlessly like I was the host of my own show. Somehow that early lens shaped me,” she said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Maya Akra (Acra) (@mayaacra)

She began performing on stage at a young age, often drawing from real-life experiences marked by grief, resilience and reinvention. After building her career in Lebanon — working behind the scenes at MTV, acting in student films and her comedy sketches going viral — Akra moved to New York to pursue acting and stand-up full-time.

Now part of the city’s vibrant improv and comedy scene, she has performed at venues such as The Stand, Stand Up NY and Broadway Comedy Club.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Maya Akra (Acra) (@mayaacra)

Her acting work includes short films, commercials and theater, often centered around stories of identity and migration. “I’m drawn to stories that spotlight the emotional and cultural struggles of Arab immigrants,” she said.

Akra is passionate about breaking the mold for Arab characters onscreen. “Arab talent is slowly gaining more visibility in Western media… (but) the industry still has a long way to go. Too often, the roles offered to Arab actors are still limited to certain tropes, like the villain, the terrorist or the oppressed woman.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Maya Akra (Acra) (@mayaacra)

“We have so many untold stories that reflect the diversity and success of Arabs in America,” she added.

While “Anora” was not an Arab story, being part of an indie project that defied expectations — and that went on to sweep the Oscars — was a powerful moment for Akra. She had been invited to the ceremony but did not attend.

“I didn’t even watch the ceremony. I had just moved into my apartment. I was in a really emotional place. I had just lost my aunt,” she recalled. “Then suddenly, I got a message: ‘You’re featured in the Best Picture of 2024!’ I was stunned. It felt completely surreal. I was so happy, and I couldn’t stop smiling.”

Looking ahead, Akra is focused on continuing to tell real, layered stories through both comedy and drama. “I carry Lebanon with me into every room,” she said. “I’ll be at the Oscars when I win my own one day. I’m claiming that.”


Ramy Youssef’s ‘#1 Happy Family USA’ comedy hits close to home

Updated 03 May 2025
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Ramy Youssef’s ‘#1 Happy Family USA’ comedy hits close to home

  • Focus on challenges facing Muslim Americans post-9/11
  • Stark reminder that today’s dystopia is no laughing matter

TORONTO: American-Egyptian comedian and actor Ramy Youssef’s first animated venture “#1 Happy Family USA,” on Amazon Prime Video, is a satirical take on the challenges faced by Muslim-American families in a post-9/11 world.

Created with Pam Brady of “South Park” fame, the eight-episode series opens with a darkly comic twist of fate — the Egyptian-American Hussein family is at the airport when news breaks of the World Trade Center attacks.

And from that moment, everything changes. The patriarch and owner of Hussein’s Halal Cart is convinced that “we must work harder at being like them. So, we blend in.”

To fit in, Hussein shaves his beard and pushes the family to “look more American.” Meanwhile, mom Sharon (also known as Sharia) embraces her faith with renewed conviction by donning a hijab.

Twelve-year-old Rumi (voiced by Youssef) finds himself an outcast at school and is now forced to navigate not only the throes of middle school and adolescence, but also the harsh realities of a post-9/11 world.

Each character is so vividly portrayed that you can easily imagine your Arab teta or the local Pakistani imam in the mix. The well-timed vocal interjections and cultural (Arab and American pop-culture) references bring an extra layer of freshness and humor to the show.

Known for his Emmy-nominated “Ramy,” Youssef continues to shed light on the Muslim-American experience.

The show evokes the familiar sentiment of fear. It captures the lived reality of Islamophobia and surveillance in Muslim communities, and explores related themes of identity struggles, microaggressions, and code-switching.

We can laugh at the Hussein family’s antics, but the show serves as a stark reminder that in today’s dystopian and polarized political climate, there is little humor to be found.


UK comedian Russell Brand appears in court on rape charges

Updated 02 May 2025
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UK comedian Russell Brand appears in court on rape charges

  • He faces two counts of rape, two of sexual assault and one of indecent assault
  • Arriving for the first court hearing in the case, Brand made his way slowly through a crush of media and onlookers gathered outside the court

LONDON: British comedian and actor Russell Brand appeared in a London court on Friday to face five charges of rape and other sexual offenses and said.
Brand, 49, who became known internationally as the husband of pop star Katy Perry after forging a career in Britain with his risque comedy routines, was charged last month.
He faces two counts of rape, two of sexual assault and one of indecent assault.
Arriving for the first court hearing in the case, Brand made his way slowly through a crush of media and onlookers gathered outside the court.
The celebrity, dressed casually in a dark colored open-necked shirt and jeans, spoke only to confirm his details before being granted bail and ordered to appear in court again on May 30.
In a video response on X after he was charged, Brand denied all the alleged offenses and said he was “grateful” for the “opportunity” to defend himself.
“I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict and an imbecile, but what I never was a rapist. I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity,” he said in the video.
The charges relate to offenses alleged to have taken place between 1999 and 2005 involving four women.
Prosecutors charged him after a police investigation into allegations following a broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary in September 2023.
London’s Metropolitan Police have said the investigation remains open and urged “anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information” to contact officers.
Brand is charged with the rape of a woman in 1999 in the Bournemouth area on England’s south coast, as well as the abuse and sexual assault of a woman in 2004 in the Westminster area of central London.
He has also been charged with indecently assaulting a woman in 2001 and sexually assaulting another woman between 2004 and 2005 — both incidents alleged to have taken place in Westminster.
The court confirmed that he lives part of the time in the United States, but Brand also gave an address in the southern English county of Buckinghamshire.
Born in 1975 to working-class parents in Essex, east of London, Brand began his stand-up career as a teenager.
He burst onto the scene as a provocative, often lewd comedian before transforming into a Hollywood star, then an anti-establishment guru and conspiracy theorist who has millions of fans online.
He has almost seven million subscribers on YouTube, 11.3 million on X and 4.8 million on Instagram.
He presented a show on the BBC’s Radio 2 station between 2006 and 2008 but left after an on-air prank when he left a sexually explicit voicemail for “Fawlty Towers” actor Andrew Sachs about his granddaughter.
He also presented a “Big Brother” spin-off show for several years and wrote columns for the left-wing Guardian newspaper and penned two autobiographies.
Brand was married to US star Perry for 14 months between 2010 and 2012.
He is now married to the author and illustrator Laura Gallacher, with whom he has three children.


Saudi highlights from Christie’s Middle Eastern & Contemporary Art sale 

Updated 02 May 2025
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Saudi highlights from Christie’s Middle Eastern & Contemporary Art sale 

  • Twelve artists from the Kingdom feature in the online auction, which closes May 8 

Ahmed Mater 

‘Illumination X-Ray’ 

The latest Middle Eastern & Contemporary Art sale from the storied auction house Christie’s features works by 12 Saudi artists — highlighted in a “Saudi Now” section on the auction site, which Christie’s describes as “a carefully selected group of works by Saudi artists that trace the unique history of the Kingdom’s artistic evolution; from the development of a modernist language deeply enmeshed in the country’s cultural heritage, to innovative contemporary works that challenge perceptions of what Saudi art is and can be.” 

Mater, a qualified doctor, is perhaps the most famous of the artists contributing to the latter group. His work, Nour Kelani — Christie’s managing director, Saudi Arabia — wrote in an email to Arab News, “explores history and the narratives and aesthetics of Islamic culture, and continues to receive much-deserved growing regional and international acclaim.”  

The ‘Illumination’ series to which this diptych belongs, she continues “brings together traditional Islamic art and modern medicine — two subjects that are often treated as essentially separate and full of tense contradictions.” 

  Abdulhalim Radwi  

‘Peace’ 

Kelani says Radwi is “one of Saudi Arabia’s most respected Modernist artists.” Indeed, he is often considered the ‘father’ of modern Saudi art. He was one of the first Saudi artists to study overseas, earning his BA in Rome in the Sixties and living for a time in Madrid in the Seventies. His work, Kelani notes, “draws references to Saudi Arabia’s desert life, folklore and traditional architecture” and although Radwi was born in Makkah, he is most strongly associated with Jeddah, where he spent much of his adult life.  

This piece is one of Radwi’s later works, created in 2002, just four years before he died. It is expected to fetch between $20-30,000 at auction. 

Faisal Samra 

‘Performance #13’ 

The Saudi-Bahraini artist is “considered a pioneer of conceptual art in the Middle East,” says Kelani. “He incorporates digital photography and performance into a creative repertoire of work.” This piece comes from his “Distorted Reality” series, which features covered individuals in blurred motion. “I don’t like still water; I like it to be moving,” Samra told Arab News last year. “I’m exploring to find something different. The core of my research is man’s existence in our world, and how we react to it, and how the world reacts to him.” 

  Jowhara AlSaud 

‘He Said, She Said’ 

The Saudi-born artist “manipulates her photographs with drawing and etching in a process that explores both the impressionability of her medium and the cultural landscape around her, exploring … censorship,” Kelani explains. This work, created in 2009, is a prime example — the lack of facial features and the blurred lines are all conscious depictions of acts of self-censorship on the part of the artist. 

Ayman Yossri Daydban 

‘Kunna Jameean Ekhwa’ 

Daydban is a Saudi-Palestinian artist whose work, says Kelani, “is both biographical and a commentary on the environment he grew up in.” This piece, described by Kelani as “iconic,” is from “Subtitles,” a series in which he selects stills from subtitled movies so the text — now decontextualized — is open to our own interpretations. Here, the text reads “We were brothers once.” 

Moath Alofi 

‘The Last Tashahud’ 

This work is one of a series of images in Alofi’s series of photographs that, according to Alofi’s website, “captures desolated mosques scattered along the winding roads leading to the holy city of Madinah.” These mosques, the text continues, were “built by philanthropists hoping to offer a haven for travelers, both of whom seek to reap the sacramental rewards of these structures.” 

  Nasser Al-Salem 

‘God is Alive, He Shall Not Die’ 

Al-Salem, Kelani says, “is a contemporary calligrapher whose work redefines Arabic calligraphy, challenging the boundaries of the traditional Islamic art by recontextualizing it in unconventional mixed-media forms.” Forms such as this one, for example, in which the word “Allah” is presented in neon above a mirror, thus repeating.