It is 4:00 pm on Sunday evening, June 13. Five remarkable women - media mogul Sultana Siddiqui, journalist and activist/advocate Tasneem Ahmar, actor and entrepreneur Atiqa Odho, and actor-cum-filmmaker Sangeeta, along with their moderator Tazeen Hussain – are assembled at the Frere Hall in Karachi, the panelists of a seminar, awaiting the session’s commencement.

I am sitting in Lahore, streaming the event a thousand kilometres away. Isn’t technology wonderful!

It’s the third and final day of the 2021 Pakistan International Film Festival, or PIFF for short. Each day has seen panelists from the media industry come together to discuss various topics revolving around Pakistani cinema. The impending arrival of the tardy chief guest is all that’s holding up the start of the current day’s session.

For the uninitiated, PIFF is an annual gathering held under the auspices of the Karachi Film Society (KFS) which itself is the brainchild of the aforementioned powerhouse that is Sultana Siddiqui.

First conducted in 2018, the event offers workshops, seminars, and film screenings with the aim of highlighting Pakistan’s cinematic potential while empowering new artists and talent. It may have miles to go before it reaches the level of its international counterparts, but the fledgling festival still has its sights set on strengthening the entertainment industry, bringing positive change, and showcasing local talent globally.

After a year’s break on account of the coronavirus pandemic, PIFF has returned this year for its third outing with COVID SOPs in effect. The three-day 2021 event has been dubbed the Women’s Edition, meant to celebrate, promote, and honour women and their contribution to Pakistani cinema. The topics under discussion, though, are wider in scope.

The first day of this year’s festival saw a seminar centred on the lack of growth of Pakistani films in the international market and the reasons and challenges behind this slow growth. The panelists – Omer H. Paracha, Sheikh Amjad Rasheed, Irfan Malik, and Selina Rashid – discussed the quality of films, low return on investment, the need to experiment with various genres, and upgrading technology and equipment.

Senator Faisal Javed Khan, who is also the Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, then voiced the need to present our own ideas to the world in our films, and pledged government support for the arts in his keynote speech.

Day two saw a panel discussion – featuring Javed Jabbar, Dr. Fouzia Saeed, Ameena Saiyid, Amin Hashwani, Dr. Farah Essa Zaidi, Duraid Qureshi, and Fizza Ali Meerza – on issues and challenges related to the industry post COVID-19, and also touched on the portrayal of women in Pakistani media, access of the lower and middle class to cinema, and the need to establish a digital entertainment platform. Fawad Chaudhry, the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, was on hand for the keynote this time which commented on the changing times and reiterated the government’s intention to lend a hand to the entertainment sector.

It’s day three now, and we are waiting to hear from the panelists. The topic? “Gender stereotypes in media and what are women doing about it?” Some might find the wording a little iffy – putting the onus of responsibility on the women when it shouldn’t be – but you hope it’s nothing more than a (well-intentioned) faux pas.

Things finally get going after the belated arrival of Syed Sardar Ali Shah, the Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Antiquities.

Sultana Siddiqui – the President of KFS – talks about entering the television industry at a time when very few women were in the field and subsequently helping bring other ladies to the industry. She is weary of how judgmental people are towards women but heartened by the fact that today it is a respected field for girls. Her aim is to portray issues and topics that change the mind-set of people. She also raises the importance of empowering girls, the need for more women in policy making, the change that women in power bring, and also says that the industry needs government facilitation.

Tasneem Ahmar – the founder and director of the Uks Research Center – says there is discrimination against women everywhere, including in the media and entertainment arenas. She also expresses frustration on the very limited range of topics – muhabbat, shadi, talak – in our dramas and hopes for change.

Actress and filmmaker Sangeeta, too, says she entered the film industry at a time when it wasn’t the norm for women, and how much she now appreciates the work of the youth. She also laments the backlash faced when dramas try to do something different.

Actress Atiqa Odho – who is, among other things, also the CEO of Odho Brand/Cosmetics and Odho Productions – speaks about butting heads with regulatory institutions and the censor board, and opines that PEMRA needs to change its mind-set, allow better content, and reassess their dos and don’ts. She also talks about the role of the entertainment industry in a country’s perception management and imaging, and the need to learn how to better market ourselves.

The ladies share their experiences, motivations, hopes, and frustrations. But all too quickly, the time runs out. The hour is up. A few questions with the audience – about the complete absence of film stars in Pakistan and the importance of writers – follow. Then Syed Sardar Ali Shah appreciates the efforts of the KFS team in organizing the event and creating meaningful dialogue, talks about the role of women in the history of entertainment, and assures his government’s support for the industry. As his speech ends, the seminar wraps up, and the stream comes to an end.

In the end, the session may have only scratched the surface but it’s always good to see women in power raising their voices for what they believe in. And while we may not walk away from this seminar with any dazzling new insights, we are still left with the comfort that there are strong women who are trying to make things better. Good on them. And if their efforts bear fruit, it might be good for us too.