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Sarmad Khoosat’s Lali to screen on opening night at Tasveer Film Festival in Seattle
The <a href="https://cinemamix360.com/2026/09/25/the-next-saw-movie-has-found-its-director/” title=”The Next 'Saw' Movie Has Found Its Director”>movie joins a documentary and five short films in representing Pakistan.
25 Sep, 2026
After premiering in Berlin, winning in Washington DC and screening in London, Sarmad Khoosat’s film Lali is heading to Seattle for the Tasveer Film Festival.
The festival, which is the only South Asian festival where winning can qualify a film for Oscar consideration, has a lineup of 136 titles, including 21 features.
The festival announced Lali’s opening night screening on its Instagram page on Thursday.
The film will be screened on October 15 at 6pm local time at the Tasveer Film Centre. The show will be preceded by a red carpet walk and the cast and crew will host a session with the audience after the credits roll.
There also be a gala dinner with live music and a DJ.
For those unfamiliar, Lali revolves around Zeba (played by Mamya Shajaffar), a young woman who gains the label of as a “cursed bride” after three of her previous suitors die under mysterious circumstances.
Lali “examines the fear, shame, and violence that lie beneath intimate relationships,” “With a keen eye for human complexity, it seeks to confront and release the suppressed forces that continue to suffocate many unions.”
In addition to Shajaffar, Lali boasts an ensemble cast, featuring Joyland’s Rasti Farooq and Churails star Meher Bano. The film’s score has been composed by Abdullah Siddiqui.
The film is joined at Tasveer by Habiba Nousheen’s documentary The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony and five short films from Pakistani filmmakers — Farqalit Gharshin’s Tsrak, Kamran Faiq’s The Last Glance, Basir Ahmed’s Khazana, Ali Mehdi’s Shireen and Ra
Pakistan has had an impressive record at past editions of the Tasveer Film Festival, with Wakhriopening its 2024 edition alongside an Indian title.
In 2019, Ahmed Ali Akbar’s Laal Kabootartook home the festival’s Archana Soy Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film.
