KARACHI — Pakistani filmmaker Kamran Faiq’s short film The Last Glance has qualified for the 2028 Academy Awards longlist after winning the Jury Award for Best Short at the 21st Tasveer Film Festival in Seattle, held from October 13 to 18.
Faiq described the achievement as a significant milestone, noting that The Last Glance was the only film from the festival to qualify for the Oscars. He explained that only a limited number of short films make it through the qualifying process from thousands of submissions.
Qualification Does Not Guarantee Nomination
The filmmaker clarified that qualifying for the longlist does not mean the film has received an Oscar nomination. However, the achievement places it in contention for the next stage of the awards race.
Faiq also revealed that the team was working to bring an Oscar-nominated actor on board as an executive producer, who could represent the film during the upcoming awards season.
A Story of Displacement
The Last Glance follows a family forced to flee their village under the cover of darkness to escape violence. The film features Adnan Shah Tipu, Areej Ayub and Fahad Hashmi, among others.
Written, produced and directed by Faiq, the project also credits Umer Peerzada as producer and Khalid Saeed Khan as executive producer, while Mike McNamara and Armeena Rana Khan serve as co-producers.
Growing Festival Recognition
The film’s Oscar qualification adds to an impressive run on the international festival circuit. It recently won Best International Short Film at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival in Canada.
In another achievement, Faiq announced on Instagram that The Last Glance had been selected as one of eight finalists for the short film programme at the Asian World Film Festival in Los Angeles, competing among films representing more than 50 Asian countries.
For Pakistan’s film industry, the recognition marks an encouraging moment, highlighting the ability of local filmmakers to bring stories to international audiences despite the challenges of independent filmmaking.
