Pakistan’s entertainment industry got a huge boost when on 18th June, 2023 the first batch of directors took oath as members of the Directors Guild of Pakistan (DGP). The initiative wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of producer/director Rafay Rashdi who is also the General Secretary of the organization and brings together directors from film, TV and advertising together for a good cause.

It was about time that the director of Pakistan formed a guild to safeguard the interests of their colleagues who work in conditions that haven’t changed much in the last 4 decades. Through DGP, they plan to take a series of groundbreaking initiatives aimed at promoting the growth and excellence of Pakistani cinema in general, and directors in particular.

In short, the DGP aims to shape the future of the Pakistani film industry and for that they have selected veteran actress and director Misbah Khalid as its President, Shahzad Nawaz as the Vice President and Ismail Jilani as the Joint Secretary. These three, along with Rafay Rashdi, were instrumental in forming the DGP of which actor/director Saife Hasan is the treasurer.

Renowned directors Mehreen Jabbar, Jamshed Mehmood Jami, Mohsin Mirza, Asad Mumtaz, Wajahat Rauf and Sarmad Khoosat are also members of the governing body which plans to spearhead several key programs to nurture artistic talent, foster innovation, and facilitate collaboration within the filmmaking community.

The event was hosted at the house of DGP Guild’s General Secretary Rafay Rashdi and was attended by some of the biggest directors produced by the industry. While renowned director M Zaheer Khan administered the oath from the governing body, veterans Saeed Rizvi and Usman Peerzada were there to support the initiative. Also present at the event were directors Nadeem Baig, Ehteshamuddin, and Aabis Raza who are an integral part of the DGP.

Speaking about the new initiatives, members of the governing body of the Directors Guild of Pakistan, emphasized that transformative initiatives like DGP will shape the future of Pakistani cinema and they will try to empower their fellow filmmakers in any way which they can. In their opinion, only through collaboration and support, and fostering innovation, can the DGP elevate the standards of the industry.

Representatives of United Producers Association Nabeel Zafar and Actors Collective Trust Atiqa Odho also graced the occasion with their presence and along with Screen Writers Guild Association’s Rida Bilal spoke about the importance of DGP and how it will help smooth matters between the industry.

While the Directors Guild of Pakistan had the support of many big names, a few of them chose to stay away from the initiative namely Aehsun Talish, Siraj ul Haq and Nabeel Qureshi. Let’s hope that the initiative works well so that every director in the entertainment industry would become part of it, and join hands with their colleagues to take the industry forward.