Pakistan picks “Daughter” Toronto thriller as foreign Oscar entrySeptember 19, 2014 - 17:45 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Pakistan’s Academy Selection Committee has chosen writer-producer-director Afia Nathaniel’s “Daughter” (Dukhtar) as the country’s entry for the foreign-language Oscar race, according to Variety. “Daughter” is a thriller that follows a woman who was married off when she was 15. She flees her family with her 10-year-old daughter when it emerges that the daughter might suffer the same fate of child marriage. What follows is a chase, with killers hired by their family in hot pursuit, across Pakistan’s mountains down to the metropolis of Lahore. The film stars popular Pakistani actors Mohib Mirza and Samiya Mumtaz. Geo Films released the film in Pakistan on September 18, thereby qualifying it for foreign-language submission. It premiered at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival earlier this month and will play at the BFI London Film Festival in October. The committee revealed that the film was the overwhelming favorite among the submissions. “It’s so overwhelming to hear about this news right after our world premiere at Toronto and during our theatrical release in Pakistan. My deep gratitude to the Pakistan Academy Selection Committee for their support and for our audiences everywhere who have embraced us so warmly,” Nathaniel said. “Daughter” is a co-production between Pakistan’s Zambeel Films, Norway’s Indie Films and U.S. outfit Mint Prods. Related links: Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |