The Festival will be held in the beautiful city of Lahore, one of Pakistan's most liberal and cosmopolitan cities. It exerts a strong cultural influence over Pakistan. Lahore is also home to Pakistan's film industry and was one of the film cities of British India including Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. The first silent film made in Lahore, The Daughters of Today (Director: G K Mehta), was released in 1924. A.R. Kardar, along with M. Ismail, established the first studio in 1928 and produced the first talkie, Heer Ranjha, in 1932.

The city also hosts much of Pakistan's tourist industry with major attractions including the famed Walled City, numerous Sikh shrines, and the Badshahi and Wazir Khan mosques. Lahore is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens.

The Lahore International Film Festival believes film as an art form has the power to bridge cultures and illuminate the universality of the human experience. The focus of the LIFF is to promote self-expression, creativity and celebrate cinematic excellence in any language. Another notable feature is the appeal of the festival to young people, both in terms of the large youthful audience and to develop and promote young talent.

The LIFF aims for a leadership role in providing an extensive forum for independent filmmakers in Pakistan and beyond.

The Festival will be held on two venues simultaneously. Film screenings will be in a multiplex and other festival activities like stalls, workshops, master classes, panel discussions and networking will be at an art centre.

The Festival will host special Lahore sightseeing tours, dinners of traditional Lahori food at historical places of Lahore for foreign participants/filmmakers and guests.

Awards & Prizes

LIFF WORLD CINEMA AWARD
International feature films selected in the program section AROUND THE WORLD THROUGH CINEMA will qualify for LIFF World Cinema Award. For LIFF WORLD CINEMA AWARD Categories visit www.liff.pk/awards

LIFF SIGNATURE AWARD
Short films selected in program sections LESS IS MORE, SAT IT SHORT - SAY IT ALL, DEPTH OF FIELD and VIEWFINDER will qualify for LIFF Signature Award. For LIFF SIGNATURE AWARD Categories visit www.liff.pk/awards

LIFF SPECTRUM AWARD
National feature films selected in the program section A WINDOW TO PAKISTANI CINEMA will qualify for LIFF Spectrum Award.

For more details about award categories visit www.liff.pk/awards

Rules & Terms

RULES AND REGULATIONS

SUBMISSION RULES FOR CATEGORIES

:: Feature Film International ::

- Fiction and documentary film with more than 60 minutes of duration, which must have been completed after December 2015.
- Film must be produced and directed by a filmmaker from any country other than Pakistan.
- Films in language other than English must have English subtitles.
- Submitted film must be HD 1080/720p downloadable password protected online link.
- Submitters having more than one film to submit can request for a discount waiver.

:: Feature Film National ::

- Fiction and documentary film with more than 60 minutes of duration, which must have been completed after December 2013 and is produced in Pakistan by a Pakistani filmmaker.
- Films in language other than English must have English subtitles.
- Submitters having more than one film to submit can request for a discount waiver.

:: Short Film International ::

- Fiction, documentary and animation film with less than 40 minutes of duration, which must have been completed after December 2015.
- Film must be produced and directed by a filmmaker from any country other than Pakistan.
- Films in language other than English must have English subtitles.
- Submitted film must be HD 1080/720p downloadable password protected online link.
- Submitters having more than one film to submit can request for a discount waiver.

:: Short Film National ::

- Fiction and documentary film with less than 40 minutes duration, which must have been completed after December 2013 and is produced in Pakistan by a Pakistani filmmaker.
- Films in language other than English must have English subtitles.
- Submitted film must be HD 1080/720p downloadable password protected online link.

:: Student Film International ::

- Fiction, documentary and animation film with less than 30 minutes of duration, which must have been completed after December 2015.
- Film must be produced and directed by a student filmmaker from any country other than Pakistan.
- Filmmaker must be currently enrolled in a film/media department, college or university from outside Pakistan.
- Copy of valid Student ID card will be required.
- Student thesis film from country other than Pakistan, completed after December 2015 is also eligible but a letter confirming about the student and thesis film completion year will be required from related film/media department, college or university.
- Films in language other than English must have English subtitles.
- Submitted film must be HD 1080/720p downloadable password protected online link.
- Submitters having more than one film to submit can request for a discount waiver.

:: Student Film National ::

- Fiction and documentary film with less than 30 minutes of duration, which must have been completed after December 2014.
- Film must be produced and directed by a student filmmaker from Pakistan.
- Filmmaker must be currently enrolled in a film/media Department, College or University from Pakistan.
- Copy of valid Student ID card will be required.
- Student thesis film from Pakistan, completed after December 2015 is also eligible but a letter confirming about the student and thesis film completion year will be required from related Pakistani film/media department, college or university.
- Films in language other than English must have English subtitles.
- Submitted film must be HD 1080/720p downloadable password protected online link.

For GENERAL SUBMISSION RULES AND REGULATIONS visit www.liff.pk/rules-regulations