24°51′36″N 67°0′36″E / 24.86000°N 67.01000°E
 | |
| Location | Karachi, Pakistan |
|---|---|
| Language | International |
| Website | karafilmfest |
The Karachi International Film Festival, simply known as the Kara Film Festival (Urdu: کارا فلم فیسٹیول or کارا فلم) [1] was founded in 2001 by the KaraFilm Society, reportedly in response to the declining state of the Pakistani film industry. The film festival was held annually until 2009. The 8th Kara Film Festival was supposed to be held in 2010 but has since been delayed every year due to the socio-economic problems that Karachi was facing.
The goal of the festival was to "promote an appreciation of the art and craft of filmmaking among a wide population as well as to encourage creativity and high standards among filmmakers". The Kara Film Festival was founded to celebrate the past galore of Pakistani cinema and help aid in its revival.
The festival featured a variety of independent films including documentaries, narrative features and shorts. From the 6th festival onwards there was also a family-friendly section of children's animated movies There would be a jury who would celebrate emerging and renowned filmmakers by awarding their works. One distinctive feature of the festival was that it would showcase works of art by Pakistani artists. Another feature of the festival was that the opening and closing ceremonies would feature some of the new as well as some of the famed Pakistani musical talent.[2]