In a welcome speech, by the Dean FASS-FJWU, Dr Sarwet Rasul, appreciated the Swiss embassy’s #InspireInclusion initiative, for hosting the event at FJWU Auditorium, Rawalpindi.

After the screening, the ambassador of Switzerland in Pakistan, H.E. Georg Steiner, in his keynote address, expressed his views, “we had the privilege to watch a wonderful, very inspiring film this morning, about inclusion. We believe that inclusion of women in our society is of utmost importance and of course, for the great importance of our society.”

Khalid Hasan Khan, the filmmaker of Barefoot, explained the premise of the interfaith soccer film, by mentioning, Carl Gustav Jung, ‘no tree can grow to Heaven unless it’s roots reach down to Hell’, Barefoot is a string of stories of such discouraged youth, from Khyber to Karachi, belonging to footballers of Christian, Hindu and Zoroastrian communities along with soccer players from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who play against the intolerable odds, in a discriminatory ordeal, he added, ‘you have to be in the development hell, to get glory in life’. He elaborated that “when sports organisations fail to nurture the talent, godfathers step in, to the rescue of dreams of young sportspersons. Khan cited the famous line, ‘whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.’ This ‘kindness of strangers’ is ‘humanity’ that helps young men and women to survive and thrive in the arena of their dreams.”

In the end, Dr Abida Sharif, Head from the Sociology Department of FJWU, thanked the guests and the audience for the “highly engaged session.”

The short film Time Sentence, set in the distant future, is a science fiction courtroom drama, where an artificial intelligence-driven judge, Frank Scaler is hearing the case of an accused, who is a time traveler, where Dayajeet Singh, state prosecutor tells him that this court gives verdict on the very first hearing. John Arch, the defense counsel reveals that machines have overtaken power of human judgement in legal arena long ago.

The former Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, an outspoken human rights activist, Retired Justice Wajihauddin Ahmed appreciated the innovatively creative effort of the film team. He said, “This film will leave a deep impact on the minds of audiences at the national and international level. It’s a tragic story.” Noted intellectual and political analyst, Saeed Khawar addressed the audience, “There are serious hidden messages in the film. Such bold story-telling is missing these days”. The film’s director, Khalid Hasan Khan, said, “Technology is an extension of human habits.”

The director elaborated, “the film explores the premise, how technology brings its own implicit laws and society fails to catch up with its evolutionary development. The story of this film, was very well-written by the famous poet Zulfiqar Adil, covering aspects of law, justice, human aspirations and unbridled usage of artificial intelligence by the human society; its probable implications for humanity that are being caused by the excessive indulgence in AI.”

The cast of the film includes Shamim Shirazi, Dara Shikoh Hashmi, Syed Muaz Shah, Rafat Jabeen, Talal Farhat and Mohammad Ali. Imran Sheikh and Syed Ovais Ali are the executive producers of this short film. The filmmaker of Time Sentence, Khalid Hasan Khan, is a Hollywood graduate who has won twenty-four awards from the international film festivals circuit, for his fiction and non-fiction projects. 

The office bearers of the Karachi Press Club presented Sindhi ajraks to the chief guests.

Having already bolstered its position as a leading content powerhouse, Banijay has over the years nurtured a creative footprint spanning 21 territories and playing home to 130 labels. In this latest phase of transformative growth, it will unite the creative and commercial strengths of two unique companies to build a differentiated offering in the media and entertainment space.

Founded in 2013, Milan-based Balich Wonder Studio is a creative player which has quickly grown to be a prestigious live event creator and service provider, tapping into a broad range of institutional ceremonies, brand and destination experiences. Firmly on the map globally as a leading reference and go-to for premium live entertainment events, it is credited for the organisation of the highest number of Olympic Games Ceremonies in the world and other prestigious events such as the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup; Pan American Games Ceremonies in Perù 2019 and Chile 2023; 2016 Rio Olympic Games Ceremonies (CC2016); and 2014 Sochi Olympic Games closing and Paralympic Games Ceremonies. Additionally, it has delivered a range of exclusive events for top brands including Louis Vuitton, Formula 1, Ferrari, Dolce & Gabbana, UEFA, MSC, Maserati, Bulgari, IWC, Azimut Benetti and many others. Balich Wonder Studio posted revenues of €315m in 2022.

The deal will bring together the creative strengths of Banijay’s global talent collective, led by CEO Marco Bassetti, with the proven expertise of Balich Wonder Studio’s leading live entertainment team, led by its founders Marco Balich, Gianmaria Serra and Simone Merico, the CEO Stefano Core, and Carolina Dotti and Valentina Saluzzi, partner and luxury experts. A complementary union, the transaction will signal a new era and further growth for both businesses.

Marco Bassetti, Chief Executive Officer Banijay: “Complementary to us in its ambition and entrepreneurialism, Balich has risen to be top of its game in the live-event space, and via this acquisition, there is huge potential for further pioneering growth. We feel fortunate the team chose to partner with us on this trailblazing move and can already see how together we can build additional creative and commercial synergies, to cement the collective as a media and entertainment powerhouse. In marrying our businesses, we will create a unique universe of globally-spanning premium content, and the world’s most-watched ceremonies and illustrious events – ultimately, a one-stop-shop for creativity.”

Marco Balich, Chairman Balich Wonder Studio: “We are glad that a world-class player like Banijay has chosen a committed creative team with the ambition to become the world’s most prestigious live entertainment group. Together we feel empowered to accelerate this journey. We share the passion for creativity, the ability to create exceptional content and spread emotions, culture, and beauty as pillars for a better world. Today, after ten years of extraordinary growth, we look forward to an exciting future and we are happy to continue inspiring wonder around the world”. 

As a creative studio, the live entertainment group has also been involved in a number of public destination developments, creating resident and water shows, immersive experiences and landmark icons like the symbol of World Expo – the celebrated “Tree of Life”, and the ‘Whale Shark’, a 30-metre symbol suspended in Doha in 2022 to represent the country’s focus on preserving its natural environment.

Balich Wonder Studio’s healthy portfolio of successful businesses includes two brands, with operating offices in Europe and the Middle East, which is one the fastest growing and most important markets for the high-end event management industry. At the forefront of innovation, the ESG-committed live event specialist has swiftly grown both its offering and its footprint, and with Banijay, is now poised for further creative expansion. 

The acquisition remains subject to customary closing conditions and is anticipated to close in the coming months.

The deal announced today gives GoQuest Media the worldwide distribution rights (excluding Lithuania and Estonia) for the five-part comedy-drama, the first high-end project of its kind to be produced in Lithuania. Troll Farm, a dramedy about a high-flying executive out for revenge, is directed by Ernestas Jankauskas and stars Gabija Siurbyte, also the co-creator and producer of the series.

Troll Farm (5 x 50’) made its debut earlier this year on LRT, Lithuania’s national broadcaster, and on local streaming platform Telia Play, the first time a local show has been streamed and broadcast simultaneously on television. Troll Farm became the inaugural winner of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival’s TV Beats Forum, showcased at Content London and Série Series (France), two of the top industry events for presenting in-development international TV productions, and selected among others for Berlinale Series Market Selects 2023. It will also premiere at Transylvania International Film Festival.

After being wrongly fired from Melta Cosmetics, corporate diva Ana is determined to clear her name and prove to the world that she is the scapegoat. With her reputation ruined and her family broken, Ana’s mind screams DESTROY. Destroy Melta Cosmetics. Destroy her pretentious boss, Adomas Gylys. Destroy his two-faced office minions.

Armed with ‘Agriculture for Dummies’ and an extensive corporate career, Ana ends up running two farms. Whilst growing apples and raising chickens work as an excellent cover, Ana’s passion lies with her underground business – Troll Farm, designed to destroy shady corporations. To reclaim her freedom of speech, she creates a fake personality destined to become society’s voice of reason – Judith.

Troll Farm sucks all of Ana’s savings and precious time with her beloved daughter Emily. Hurt by her parents’ separation, Emily turns into a 9-year-old terrorist in a glamorous dress, determined to elbow her way to victory in dance competitions. Getting closer to her daughter will turn out to be just as challenging as getting her revenge – it’s impossible to have it all. And, blinded by her desire for revenge, Ana is slowly turning into the same manipulative beast she’s fighting.

Commenting on the acquisitions Rakesh Vasani, Content Acquisition – Global at GoQuest Media, said, “Troll Farm’s unique story stood out to us from the start. This omnipresent phenomenon of troll farms is a deadly tool that while invisible has the power to dictate our thought process and consequently our decisions. In a story told through actors that look real and could belong in our lives, attracted us to the series. It is also a highly formattable series with its universal concept that visibly exists in today’s world. We’re really excited to work with Gabija and Dansu to bring Troll Farm to a global audience.”

“We are very excited to work with Rakesh and his team. Troll Farm is our first TV series and we have put love and hard work into each shot. We believe that the series can travel well as it tells a universal story”, added Gabija Siurbyte, Head of Dansu Films.

‘Drishyam’, the Malayalam crime thriller, follows Georgekutty (Mohanlal) and his family, who come under suspicion when Varun Prabhakar, the son of the IG Geetha Prabhakar, goes missing. The 2013 movie was written and directed by Jeethu Joseph. The success of the film led to remakes and sequels in four Indian languages: ‘Drishya’ (2014) in Kannada, ‘Drushyam’ (2014) in Telugu, ‘Papanasam’ (2015) in Tamil, and ‘Drishyam’ (2015). According to the makers, the project marks the first time a Hindi film is being officially remade in the South Korean language.  Pathak, who has acquired multiple language rights for ‘Drishyam’, said he is looking forward to taking the film franchise to South Korea. “I’m excited that the ‘Drishyam’ franchise is being made in Korean, a first for a Hindi film. This will not only increase its reach outside India but will also put Hindi cinema on the global map. All these years, we have been inspired by Korean fare, now they have found a muse in one of our films. What can be a bigger achievement for the Indian film fraternity,” the producer said in a statement. Choi, who co-founded Anthology Studios with ‘Parasite’ star Song Kang-ho and acclaimed director Kim Jee-woon, said he is excited about the collaboration.

 “We are thrilled to have an opportunity to remake a massively successful Hindi film with a touch of originality from Korean cinema. And the remake has greater significance as the first major co-production between South Korea and India.         

Through our partnership, we will be able to bring the best of both Indian and Korean cinema and make a meaningful remake that is as excellent as the original,” Choi added.

US-based Jack Nguyen, former Warner Bros executive, will serve as executive producer on the Korean remake of “Drishyam”. Nguyen has worked with Pathak on WB produced comedy “Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge” and with Choi in the critically-acclaimed blockbuster drama “Age of Shadows” starring Song.

“I have history with and the utmost respect for these highly-regarded producers so it was a natural fit for me to bring them together to collaborate on a great story in ‘Drishyam’. I’m excited to help them make history with this first-of-its-kind Indian-Korean co-production,” added Nguyen.

Like Shahid, there are so many unsung heroes around the world, who are being exploited by fame-seeking shams, who deprive such striving artists, of their due reward and stardom. “Plagiarism and piracy are the wicked twins, act like black holes that devour countless starlets in the galaxy of creative industry, in utter disregard for the intellectual property law every year”, Khalid Hasan Khan cited the theme of this film. He has directed the short film, scribbled by Zahid Rai, with debutant cast, which includes Adnan Bashir Khan as a protagonist; Kainat Munir and Aleezay Javed as support actresses. 

The Painterist has won awards from The Buddha International Film Festival, Pune, Maharashtra, LOGIHQ International Happiness Film Festival & Exhibition, liHfe, New Delhi, India, The International Cultural Exchange Film Festival, New York, United States, Robinson Film Awards, Rome, Italy and The Annual Mountain Shadow Short Film Competition, Walnut Creek, California. The Painterist earned an honorable mention from the Financial Literacy Film Festival, San Juan, Puerto Rico, besides, officially selected by Nac Short Film Festival, 
Nacogdoches, Texas, WILDsound Daily Screenplay Festival, Los Angeles, California, Panama Series Festival, 
Arraijan, 
 Panama, SmartPhilm Festival, Washington, DC and F5 FPP Financial Focus FilmFest, Sanford, Florida.

Khalid Hasan Khan is an award-winning filmmaker, a graduate from New York Film Academy, Los Angeles, California. He won twenty four international awards; moreover, his fiction and non-fiction projects have officially been screened in, well over sixty, international film festivals, in countries, including Belarus, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Greece, France, India, Italy, Nigeria, Panama, Puerto Rico, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

Gaining massive popularity in the USA as a solo singer of Western music including Jazz, Pop, Rock, and Alternative, the San Jose-based 16-years old singer-lyricist of Indian origin Someya is all poised to make her entry into Bollywood with her latest album “Gold ”. She has appeared on stage in professional productions since elementary school. She further refined her skills while attending programs at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Someya regularly performs live across multiple venues.

Someya has already established herself in the USA with her Alt-Rock which is markedly different from the traditional ones as she weaves a story around the song keeping listeners bound to it. The “Gold” is an example of it. It is story-telling in “Gold” that made it popular in the USA.

Now on, Approach Entertainment will be managing her career and talent in India and it incorporates PR, Live Performances, Casting, Brand Endorsements, and other talent management activities.

Approach Entertainment is India’s Leading Celebrity Management Agency with a roster of Bollywood Celebrities, TV Actors, Singers, Music Celebrities, Sports Celebrities, Writers, and Performance Artists. Approach Entertainment has its offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Kolkata, Jalandhar, and Goa.

Approach Entertainment is being headed by award-winning writer/director Sonu Tyagi who has a background in Journalism and Advertising.

Approach Entertainment, India’s leading Celebrity, Artists, and Talent Management Agency will officially handle the portfolio of Someya to upgrade it and elevate it in the Indian Film, TV, and Music Industry. Someya now wants to set her foot in India particularly in the cine-world with her innovative music singles like “Gold” which was critically acclaimed worldwide. Someya believes a space is lying vacant in the Indian world of Alt-Rock and she wants to fill it.

Approach Entertainment will be responsible to endorse her in the Indian Film, Music, and TV  Industry for Playback Singing, Music Collaborations with representing her for performances in Live Concerts and Events, Brand Endorsement, etc.

Talking about the signup, Sonu Tyagi, CEO of Approach Entertainment says “Someya is an International singer. She is already a sensation in the USA with four super hit music singles and numerous performances worldwide. She has the perfect voice and music composition skills and we will be using this quality to promote and build up her profile in the Entertainment, Music and Bollywood Industry in India”. Further he added “Her international look and singing talent with an impressive music portfolio at a very young age will help her to grow in the market, nationally and internationally both. Being a top Celebrity Management company in India, we are confident that we will make her a big brand on the World music scene”

Approach Entertainment is India’s leading and Award-winning Celebrity Management and Films Productions Company set up in 2004 with its Head Office in Mumbai and branch offices in New Delhi, Gurgaon, Goa, Dehradun, Chandigarh & Jalandhar. Approach Entertainment is having specialized units in Celebrity and Talent Management, Films Productions, Advertising and Corporate Films Productions, Line Productions, Films Marketing, Events, and Integrated Entertainment Marketing services.

The company is also foraying into Bollywood Films Productions with its first Hindi film project in 2022. The company will be announcing the film project soon and the work is already going on in the script and pre-production. The company aims to produce content-driven films in Bollywood and have a slate of 2 releases in 2022. The company is also launching a Bollywood Newswire, Approach Bollywood which will focus on Bollywood news and content dissemination worldwide.

The fast-growing Celebrity Management and entertainment marketing company also bagged “The Bizz India 2010 Award” in the Entrepreneurial category given by the World Confederation of Business. The company is part of Integrated PR and Marketing Communications group Approach Communications. The fast-growing media & communications group also bagged the prestigious Service Excellence Award given by World Marketing Organization.

For more info:

Sonu Tyagi at 9820965004

Mail us at  info@approachentertainment.com

Visit us at Approach Entertainment Celebrity Management  www.approachentertainment.com 

Approach Entertainment Film Productions:  www.approachentertainment.net

Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

Pakistani director’s soccer documentary “Barefoot with Godfather of Soccer-Unwanted but Undaunted” awarded from the third annual Emerald Coast Film Festival, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, USA. Khalid Hasan Khan  directed and produced the 35 minutes long soccer documentary. The sports documentary primarily focuses on the lives of soccer coaches, Ahmed Jan from Karachi, and Saifullah Khan, from Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: both mentor young talent with their scant resources.

The director Khalid Hasan Khan said, “This is more of an interfaith dialogue than a soccer documentary, where the lives of footballers of both genders from the Hindu, Christian and Zoroastrian minority communities were captured with other underprivileged sections of the Pakistani society.” In this docu, Joyce Christina, a Christian footballer from the minority women’s football team, shared her story of on and off field discrimination.

While, Jamshed, a footballer from the Zoroastrian community from Karachi Parsi Institute, gripes about the dearth of football fields in the city of lights. Amarsee Magji Paria, a priest of Harijan Manohar Temple and a former footballer, from Narain Pur, aka ‘the Little Bombay of Karachi’; said that “sport turns a man into a human being.” Pakistan’s trailblazing soccer reporter Shazia Hassan, who took over the beat of football reporting, after a great deal of hustle, also recounted her story. 

The film includes interviews of teenage players from Lyari; known as Mini Brazil and the heart of Karachi’s soccer; where the budding players find it hard to play the game at Kakri ground, thanks to illegal encroachments, inside the ground. Saifullah Khan, a coach from Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, narrated how he mentored a local young rickshaw driver, in fulfilling his dream of becoming a soccer goalkeeper, when his friend from Sialkot generously donated a football kit, at his request. He said people from the North Waziristan’s tribal region, bought tickets to watch a locally organised football tournament in Miranshah, North Waziristan.

The gun-wielding spectators agreed to attend the matches without their firearms, when the announcement was made that “if armed spectators tried to enter the stadium, the match would be abandoned”. According to Khalid Hasan Khan, football is not just a sport but it bridges the gap between people of different faiths and classes along with providing a wholesome entertainment to the new generation by eliminating intolerance from the society.”

Dianna Chenevert, the visionary festival founder of the Emerald Coast Film Festival, in her message wrote, “ Let’s help make a positive difference in the world together via film, recognize filmmakers, and encourage them to make more inspiring content.” Khalid Hasan Khan told “it’s a hat trick of awards for ‘Barefoot with Godfather of Soccer-Unwanted but Undaunted’ which has already won two awards; one from Global India International Film Festival, Mumbai, India, 2022 and Tagore International Film Festival, Bolpur, India in 2021; besides, official selections from Clapperboard Golden Festival, Brazil, High Tatras Film & Video Festival, Slovakia and Kings Cross Film Awards, United Kingdom.”

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