Josh- A joshili addition to Pakistani cinema

For a country as Pakistan, plunged deep into the pit of ethnic violence , Josh has a plot which unravels to make its viewers travel back in the time when in primary school they learnt the clichéd lesson they have long since forgotten- Ittefaaq mein barkat hai (Unity is strength).

The film intends to project a real life image of Pakistan contrary to the one fuelled by the media, reaching out to the masses abroad. It is a visual dramatization of the war which rages inside the heads of Pakistan’s youth everyday; a solution to the controversies bogging our minds ; a window to the tragic surroundings  we choose to remain oblivious of and a story of the struggle to break free of the social norms holding us captive for decades. “It’s a film about many things- class separation, education, women’s rights, feudalism and the youth movement.”, stated Iram Parveen, the director in an interview.

The story has just the right amount of emotional element. It talks about hope, desperateness, patriotism, and about never giving up. In the disguise of Fatima, the female protagonist, a lady valiantly putting up fight with the social customs;  Pakistan’s current battle against terrorism, ethnic, religious and political violence and feudalism has been put to a brilliant portrayal.

Shot around a bold storyline, the film is destined to touch the hearts of many and has the potential to bring our conscience back to the surface and to revive our passion to seek reality of the dreams of our founding fathers. With its gripping storyline, the movie would keep the viewers on the edge of their seats.

Targeting issues which are rarely brought up, Josh responsibly feeds the recent efforts by a few film-makers aimed at revolutionizing the staggering film industry of Pakistan. To this date, it is the only Pakistani film to grab a place at UK Film Festival.

Show your ‘Josh’ and appreciate the efforts of its cast and crew by extending your full support to the film. Celebrate your Eid differently this year; come, watch ‘Josh’ along with your friends and family.

'I am Pakistan' pictorial contest

In order to mark International women’s day this year, Tashadud Namanzur has launched a pictorial contest. Tashadud Namanzur is a social media campaign initiated to voice concerns and raise awareness regarding different forms of violence against women, prevalent in our society. The contest was launched as a follow-up to the youth dialogue organized by United Nations Pakistan in collaboration with Oxfam GB, EVAWG Alliance and Men Engage Alliance to commemorate the International Women’s day at Quaid-i-Azam University. The dialogue focused on demanding effective steps to put an end to violence against women.

To raise awareness,Tashadud Namanzur has employed different mediums in past, ranging from blogs to podcasts etc. However, this time it has taken the support of the emotional element, a picture has to offer, to take its cause to the next level.

Under the name of ‘I am Pakistan’, this pictorial contest would depict the brighter side of being a woman in Pakistan to the entire world.  It aims to highlight the contributions of  women to our society in different walks and aspects of life alongside men and how today’s woman has redefined her clichéd vulnerable existence.

To take part in the contest, just upload a picture which satisfies the above-mentioned criterion, preferably one which shows a woman working in her particular field of life. The subject, however should have acceded to be photographed.

·         Submission of entries is open till a month from March 8^th.

·         Each submitted picture will be pinned to the map of Pakistan on our website, based on its location. The map is available at: http://www.tnmpakistan.com/

·         Renowned and reputable fashion and art photographer, Tapu Javeri is serving as the judge for this contest.

·         Best photo shall receive an iPad mini and Sony Cybershot camera will be awarded to the following two runner-ups.

The pictures can be uploaded here: http://www.tnmpakistan.com/upload.php. To have a look at the set of rules for the contest, follow the link: http://www.tnm.pakistan.com/roc.php. If you have any other queries, check out our website  (http://www.tnmpakistan.com/) for further details, or drop a message at info@tnmpakistan.com 

Don’t hold back to show what you’ve got to win this contest and show support for our noble cause. Your participation is just a picture away.

Dig-it 12: Digging the digital industry

When a country has the highest internet growth rate in its surrounding region, the need of taking the marketing and advertising to a whole new level and syncing the traditional ways with digital ones arises. Yes, you got it right; Pakistan is the country in spotlight here, overshadowing the South East Asian region with the highest internet growth rate.  Such a need was addressed when digital marketing tycoons from Pakistan and abroad came together to share their expertise with Pakistani business enthusiasts at Digit12; a conference about digital marketing and advertising held on 18^th of this month at Sheraton, Karachi.

The conference revolved around the ways of bringing  digital innovation to the local industry to keep it at par with the modern  ways of marketing and advertising. The evolution of advertising along with the tactics for successful campaigning were also discussed. Moonis Rehman, CEO Naseeb Networks left the audience’s jaw  dropped when he revealed that the largest advertising agencies have transformed into largest online branding companies. While measuring the footsteps of Coca Cola’s digital journey, Shakir Moin shared how Coca Cola used polar bears to make their campaign for Super Bowl go viral.

 The sessions made it crystal clear to the audience that in this era where the world has been digitalized enough to be accessed merely at the touch of a fingertip, restricting marketing and advertising to the conventional ways would mean retracing its steps back to the scratch for a brand. Successful reaching out to consumers would involve increasing their digital access to the product and digitalizing their experience.

Almost all the sessions laid stress upon the need of understanding and connecting to your customers through the art of creating stories which tug at their emotional strings. Speakers also shed light upon the significance of generating relevant content to grasp their audience’s attention. Michael Leander, Master trainer in marketing and advertising from Denmark, praised those brands which empower their employees to generate content at free will by calling them the most successful ones.

Mobile marketing was also regarded as one of the substantial  tools in reaching out a large number of audience.  The facts presented at the session, by PTA’s courtesy showed that  out of 120 million mobile subscribers in Pakistan, 20 million are estimated to be mobile internet users.  The concern of majority of people not having mobile internet access in Pakistan was also raised which was met by Naeem Zamindar, CEO Wateen expressing his company's goal of setting up wi-fi hotspots throughout Pakistan. Wateen also served as the official wi-fi partner for the event.

Digit12 was indeed, a great initiative to give the required boost to the digital industry of Pakistan. The statistics shared at the conference,  supported the speakers in their view that although, digital medium is the new girl in town, it has a long way to go until it outdates traditional methods of marketing as a primary medium for companies to publicise their brand given the small number of people who enjoy the privilege of internet access in Pakistan.