“Indus Echoes” (“Sindhu Ji Goonj”), Pakistan’s first Sindhi-language film, is set to release across Pakistan in a step plan from the 12th of September 2025, its distributor Anthem Films announces. The film, directed by film critic turned filmmaker Rahul Aijaz, starring Vajdaan Shah, Ansaar Mahar, and Samina Seher, will be released in Moonplex and Cinepax Cinemas in Larkana and Hyderabad, followed by a release in Karachi on the 19th of September, said Mohammad Kamran Jawaid, the Executive Producer and distributor of the film.
“The distribution plan is as unique as the film itself”, said Jawaid, who is also a veteran film critic of 23 years for an English-language daily newspaper.
“Small, independently produced films with a strong message and story like ‘Indus Echoes’ often only have a single weekend’s stay in cinemas. With a stepped release plan — not just for Sindh, but across Pakistan — we have bucked the trend. The release in Larkana and Hyderabad will help build a word of mouth that will help the Karachi release that happens the following week on the 19th. The voice of the audience, and the expanded release window, will help ‘Indus Echoes’ when it releases in Islamabad and connected territories by early October, and in Punjab in late that month”.
“Our intention with the film is to create awareness and give people an opportunity to see the film. A one-weekend release robs most people, who often do not know when the film came out in cinemas. As a film critic who goes to the cinema, I’ve faced that reality myself”, said Jawaid.
“Indus Echoes” had its press premiere in Karachi at Cinepax, Karachi, on the 16th of January, 2025. It has been selected at the Jaipur International Film Festival and is the official selection of the London-Pakistani Film Festival in October. Announcements of further festivals will be made in the next few weeks.
The film is produced by Tanveer Hossain (New Currents Award winner for “The Wrestler” at Busan International Film Festival 2023) and Rahul Aijaz. Renowned Pakistani actor Shamoon Abbasi, Akhtiar Ali Kalwar, Vajdaan Shah, and Zaid Aziz serve as executive producers along with Jawaid. The film is an international collaboration between South Korea, Banglades,h and Pakistan, with South Korea-based Canadian filmmaker Paul Battle as the post-production producer, co-editor (with Aijaz) and sound designer, and Ecuadorian filmmaker Saulo Aroca Rosas as the colorist.
“Indus Echoes” is a Film N’ Chips Media Productions (Pakistan), Shaam Films Entertainment (Pakistan), Green Screen (Bangladesh), Big Meta Films (South Korea), Vox Vision (Pakistan), and Anthem Films (Pakistan) production. Climate Action Center (CAC), Karachi, is the film’s ‘Official Outreach Partner’.
