Zibahkhana hits Cinemas in Pakistan

Good news for horror movie buffs and aspiring filmmakers. Zibahkhana, the first modern, desi gore flick to have been viewed in almost 20 international film festivals and produced on an extremely tight budget, is finally hitting theatres in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad! After quite a long wait and almost a hundred thousand hits on its You Tube trailer by ardent fans, the film will have its premiere in Karachi at the Universe Cineplex tonight. Later, it will open at Cinepax Rawalpindi on December 21 and around the same time in Lahore as well.

Zibahkhana has had local viewing previously, but those were at small premiers at the Islamabad Club, LUMS and Karachi's Hotspot with only a word-of-mouth, likeminded crowd. Now, being screened at a theatre means the film can finally breathe publicly the way it actually hoped to.

Speaking to people from the twin cities about Zibahkhana opening at Cinepax, the response showed definite curiosity.

"My friends saw it at the Islamabad Club premiere and really liked it, so I'm kind of excited about watching it," said Saba, 19-year-old student.

Asad, a 28-year-old banker, said, "I would like to watch Zibahkhana and see what it is all about. We really should promote our new filmmakers. Because, honestly, we've laughed enough at our Punjabi moviemaking and it is time the laughing stops. If we don't support our amateur videography, what hope do we have of encouraging other independent directors and eventually improving our film industry?"

Which hits the nail right on the head. Not only does a horror Pakistani film with a cast of first-timers and a brand new director create the right kind of buzz and is good for our industry's image, but the fact that it is an independent, low-budget film and has still made it so far, managing to muster support from cinema houses and the censor board, should inspire other aspiring filmmakers to stand up and take heed.

According to a Guardian report, "Pakistani film industry, in contrast to thriving Bollywood, is in perilous health. Once it produced 120 films each year; these days that figure is closer to 40 and the growth of satellite television has further eroded its audience."

With such a baggage on one's shoulders, when a director takes it upon himself to complete a project like Zibahkhana within a specific budget, yet keeping it authentic and entertaining, it does need all the encouragement it can get. Otherwise, the effort would fizzle out in a puff of irrelevance. Only with the right kind of support, fresh, local films can keep rolling one after the other, without years of gaps in between the effort, and thus ultimately snowball into a healthy film industry.

In an article that appeared in Time magazine titled "A Horror Movie on the Doorstep of the Taliban", it was written that Zibahkhana is "78 minutes of voodoo creepiness, cannibalism, zombies -- one of them a midget -- gore, disfiguring diseases and a seriously messed up mother-son relationship. Omar Khan (the director) seems to have crammed every horror movie cliché known to Western audiences into Zibahkhana, but it's the distinctly Pakistani touches that keep the film rollicking along."

The description should raise enough curiosity for people to make the effort to view it on the big screen, considering slightly older films are being shown at cinema houses again in order to pull back the crowd.

When Instep Today got in touch with Omar Khan, he was busy checking out the film screen at Cinepax Rawalpindi, sounding thoroughly excited. The interview was picked up from there.



Instep Today: So how did it go at Cinepax?

Omar Khan: Well, most cinemas in Pakistan and all over the world are equipped for 35 mm screens. Our film was made on a miniscule budget. In order to get a 35 mm print, it would cost us more than it took to make the entire film. So we're trying alternate means of projection. We're using a high definition projector rather than a film projector. I was checking that out at Cinepax.



Instep Today: Do you feel Zibahkhana has finally come home?

Omar Khan: I am absolutely overjoyed. More than anything else that I could have hoped for was sharing it with the Pakistani public and the youth, in an environment where it was meant to be seen. I really couldn't have asked for more.

I am blown away by the support Cinepax and Arif Mohammad Baig in particular has extended to our film which has no stars, no budget or publicity campaign. By screening our film, Cinepax has shown its commitment to supporting growth of independent cinema in Pakistan and also supporting cinema that dares to tread a path slightly different to the mainstream. The prospect of having your work reach the public in a cinema is just what making films is all about.



Instep Today: How were the contentious issues with the censor board finally resolved?

Omar Khan: Well, there were all sorts of issues… regarding the format of the film, the print not being 35 mm, the archaic nature of their laws which were written back in 1979-80, and the fact that there has been a digital revolution in the meanwhile. We found ourselves putting one foot in ancient history and one foot ahead of time. But we managed to smooth out the few rough edges.

After that came the actual censorship of the film. We had to bargain over literally a few seconds here and there. I think in the end, both parties are reasonably satisfied. I don't think any compromise has been made to the quality of the film.

I would like to extend a big thank you to the chairman of the censor board who saved the day.



Instep Today: What rating has been assigned to Zibahkhana?

Omar Khan: It has been passed for General Viewing.



Instep Today: Currently, Rawalpindi Cinepax is showing films like Bourne Ultimatum, Goal, Awaarapan, and then The Bee Movie is coming soon too. What do you hope the response to Zibahkhana will be against these big guns?

Omar Khan: You know, that's what multiplexes are about. You literally show up not knowing what movie to watch and find something that might suit you. It's flattering in one way that our film is opening the same day as the Bee Movie. I believe if the youth gets to know about Zibahkhana, they would want to check it out, just as a change of air from what they are normally accustomed to.

And I'm very excited at the prospect of people seeing something that has truly been made indigenously. Even a film like Mohabbataan Sachiyaan, for example, has had a large percent made by non-Pakistanis. So here's a film that is truly, truly Pakistani. I am also very proud of the fact that it is a completely independent product which is not part of a media corporation or even Lollywood for that matter. It is something that has come out of Islamabad. If people take it in the right spirit, then I think kids are ready to identify with it and enjoy it very much. The film does have the potential to surprise everyone in a positive way.



Instep Today: Anything else?

Omar Khan: Well, getting our film on the big screen is a huge triumph over a very rigid system that doesn't encourage change. I do hope this opens the gate for independent filmmakers to follow with all sorts of films.