Films from Pakistan, which were to be showcased at the ongoing short film festival at National Institute of Design (NID) here, have been removed from the list and their screening has been "deferred" indefinitely due to prevailing tension between the two countries.
Alpavirama 2016, an annual South Asian film festival of the institute, which is held every year had seven short film entries from Pakistan.
"We regret to announce that due to circumstances beyond our control, the screening of films from Pakistan at Alpavirama 2016 have been deferred indefinitely. Apologies," the institute posted on the event's official Facebook page.
Speaking to PTI, NID Director Pradyumna Vyas said that the prevailing tension between the neighbouring countries is one of the main reasons behind the decision, apart from other technical reasons which he did not elaborate.
"Of course, that (the prevailing tension between the two countries) is one of the main reasons behind the decision to defer the screening of films from Pakistan," Vyas said.
He said screening of Pakistani films has been "deferred" and will be screened once the situation becomes conducive.
The event, focussing on short films of 5-30 minutes length, with the theme "Asia through the Asian eye," invited filmmakers from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and other Asian countries, to submit their films for different categories.
The subject matter of the films broadly deals with Asia, the land and its people, and their lives, the institute said in its website.
Some of the films from Pakistan that were already submitted and scheduled for screening before being taken out of the list are: "Life of Sailors," "Shaheedo Tum Kahan Ho," "The Journey Within," "Channan Peer," "Multani Khussa," "Two Women and a Camera," and "Anjaan Rastay.
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