Pakistani banned film “Javed Iqbal: The Untold Story Of A Serial Killer” will world premiere as the opening night of the UK Asian Film Festival

Exclusive: Javed Iqbal: The untold story of a serial killer Banned in Pakistan two days before its theatrical release, it is now being released as the opening film of the 2022 Asian Film Festival in the UK.

The premiere will take place on 4 May at London’s BFI Southbank. The film tells the untold story of notorious Lahore serial killer Javed Iqbal who confessed to police and media that he kidnapped, sexually assaulted and killed over 100 children in Lahore in 1998-1999. He was arrested and sentenced to death. But just two years after serving his sentence, he committed suicide in a prison cell. Authorities suspected his heinous crime was part of a larger network of operating pedophiles.

The film was eagerly awaited in its hometown of Pakistan, but after a preliminary screening in Karachi, it was abolished by the government’s Central Bureau of Film Censors, despite initially receiving censorship approval. The decision sparked widespread condemnation from the film community and those involved in the investigation into Javad Iqbal. At the moment the case in the Supreme Court is underway to overturn the decision.

The film is based on a novel by writer and director Abu Aleha. კუკრი. Produced by Javed Ahmed Kakepoto and starring Yasir Hussein and Ayesha Omar, who will present the film at a screening in the UK.

“The importance of this film cannot be overstated. “It addresses the issue of the rape and mass murder of young children, which is very important and rarely discussed,” said Dr Pushpinder Chaudhry, founder and director of the UK’s Asian Film Festival. “It has always been far too convenient for South Asian societies to cover these problems, but only by creating safe havens to address these problems and their root causes can we begin to bring about the meaningful social change we need. In this way we are all grateful to the creators of this film.

This year’s UK Film Festival closing ceremony will be the UK premiere deal girls, Charm Nemchand Cheda, Bhutanese artistic director. The film portrays four childhood friends who, ten years after a confrontation that takes them separate ways, reunite over the weekend. Director of director Zangmo Dukpa will join the screening.

This year’s festival is called “Dare to Dream” to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the independence of India and Pakistan. Films will screen in the UK including Birmingham, Leicester, Coventry, Warwick, Bradford, Stockton and Glasgow; BFI Player and Modern Films are online.