Hollywood film on Pakistan’s culture to highlight country’s soft image: Tarar

ISLAMABAD (APP) – Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the production of Hollywood film on Pakistan’s culture will give people around the world an opportunity to know more about the country and highlight its soft and positive image.

This he said during a meeting with the members of the Hollywood production team visiting Pakistan to shoot an international film on Pakistani culture. He said the film produced by the Hollywood production team will be an important milestone for the Pakistani film industry.

In the meeting, discussions were held regarding the great cultural heritage and history of the country, including the preparation of a film based on Pakistani culture.

The minister also apprised the Hollywood production team about the progress in the film industry in the country. He thanked the Hollywood production team for deciding to produce a film on Pakistani culture. “It is a great honour for our culture and people,” he said, adding Pakistan was a country with a great cultural heritage. “Our history, literature, music, and art are unique and appreciated worldwide.”

The minister said he believed that this film would give the world a new opportunity to see the beauty and diversity of Pakistan. While throwing light on the measures taken by the government for cinema revival, he said it was the only industry in Pakistan that enjoyed tax amnesty.

“The government under the leadership of Shehbaz Sharif restored the film policy in its previous term,” he said, adding that the film sector had been given the status of an industry so that the youth could get an opportunity to enter this sector. He said a film finance fund had been established at Rs 1 billion in the budget of 2022-23.

Moreover, he said medical insurance for artists and tax incentives for the film industry had boosted the film industry and its related sectors. He said in the budget 2022-23, five years of tax exemption was given to filmmakers.

Similarly, income tax exemption of five years has been given on the establishment of new cinemas, production houses, and film museums whereas a tax exemption has been given for ten years on the export of film and drama. He said that foreign filmmakers were also given concessions on joint film and drama projects with local producers. For this, the condition of shooting 70 percent of the film in Pakistan was applicable to promote business activities including tourism and culture.

He said through screen tourism, Pakistan has conveyed its narrative to the world. The minister assured to provide full support and cooperation to the Hollywood production team from the government and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The Hollywood production team thanked the minister for the cooperation and hospitality they received in Pakistan.

They said they were inspired by the great cultural heritage and people of Pakistan. “Pakistan has huge filmmaking potential, we are committed to helping the local industry to grow,” they remarked. They thanked the government, the people of Pakistan, and the local film industry for the cooperation provided to them during their stay in Pakistan.

They said they were fully enjoying their visit and they were highly impressed by the beautiful locations and heritage of Pakistan. The delegation comprised James MC Milan, Andrew James Fiero, Luisa Iskin, Sadia Ashraf, Badr Ikram, and Mashal Saqib.