Hassan Zaidi in DAWN:
Film-making is a collaborative, expensive activity and therefore it is imperative that sources of investment be made available to fund it. Presently, very few people are willing to fund films, and because of an acute lack of viable products, cinemas are shutting down. As an illustration, consider the fact that whereas Pakistan produced over 110 feature films until the early 1980s, last year we produced a measly 53 which includes 25 Pushto films; in 2004, Pakistan produced a mere 50 films including 28 Pushto films. Consider also that whereas at its peak Pakistan had over 1,500 cinemas, we now have less than 275, and more and more are shutting down because of a lack of new films and audiences. These figures are indicative of the dramatic and progressive decline of film in Pakistan.
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