The Governing Body of Lahore Press Club organised a special event in connection with the 59th birthday of senior journalist Shoaibuddin. He was felicitated by President Azam Chudhary, Vice President Shakil Saeed, Secretary Abdul Majid Sajid, Treasurer Ahsan Shoukat, and members of governing body Shahnawaz Rana, Shahid Chaudhry , Hasan Taimur, Muhammad Ahmad Raza, former president Shehbaz Mian and The Nation Editor Salim Bokhari.  Among the attendees, Ch Khadim Hussain, Naeem Mustafa, Zahid Maqsood, Rana Azeem, Aslam Ch, Ziaullah Khan Niazi and Tariq Mumtaz were also included. Mr Salim Bokhari talked about his friendship with Shoaib while participants praised teh senior journalist for his services in the field of journalism. The speakers paying tributes to Shoaibuddin said that the latter always side with truth and righteousness. They said that he worked hard throughout his life and finally grabbed a respectable position in the journalist community. They added that Shoaibuddin was a self-made person who never compromise on his principles and made struggle for the promotion of journalism.  Earlier, Shahnawaz conducted the opening of event while Abdul Majid welcomed the guests.

–Monitoring

Journey Through Lens documents history of cinema

The National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) launched a book titled “Journey Through Lens” on Pakistani cinema at Alhamra Arts Council on Wednesday.  Film director Syed Noor, Lok Virsa Executive Director Dr Fouzia Saeed, book authors Aijaz Gul and Jamal Sohail, film producer Nadeem Mandviwalla and Alhamra Arts Council Executive Director Atta Muhammad Khan were panelists at the launch.  According to synopsis of the book, it primarily focuses on cinema in Pakistan that is essential part of the country’s cultural heritage. It tracks the history of cinema in the subcontinent from 1906 when France, the first film, was screened at a hotel in Mumbai. However, it does not just tell history of cinema; it also highlights the best from fifties and beyond. Faiz Foundation Chairperson Salima Hashmi said, “This week is birth anniversary of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and I’m glad this book has been launched at this time of the year. As we all know, Faiz had fantabulous relationship with the Pakistani cinema. Written by Faiz, Jago Hua Savera was screened at the Cannes Film Festival last year. This year, it was screened at the Dhaka Art Summit,” she said.  Gul said, “The book details the most popular of Lollywood films and actors in a chronological order and gives the reader a tour of highlights of the Pakistani cinema. After the partition of India in 1947, film production in the newly-founded Pakistan struggled due to a lack of equipment and talent, as most of the prominent actors and directors had moved to India.” This book is a perfect example of our artists’ contributions and history,” he said.  Sohail said, “When we started writing this book, I realised we have a rich history and we must inform our youth about it. I consider this book an entrepreneurial adventure for me. This book highlights all aspects of our film industry,” he said.

–Faizan Javed