Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed’s Barzakh to get an international premiere

Filmmaker Asim Abbasi’s Barzakh starringFawad Khan in a leading role will get an international premiere.

Produced by Waqas Hassan and Shailja Kejriwal, the series will premiere at theSeries Mania Festival in March 2023.Held annually at Lille in France, the Series Mania festival, since its inception in 2010, has been instrumental in recognising and curating the best series across the world. The festival brings together the best screenwriters, directors and artistes together under one roof.

In Barzakh, Fawad Khan will be seen playing the role of a single parent, charming but ridden with guilt for what he has lost. Sanam plays the central female character who is mysterious as well as compassionate. Barzakh is the only selection from South Asia at the festival scheduled to be held in Lille, France in March. The web series will be screened as part of International Panorama line-up, a 12-title competitive section and is also nominated in several categories such as Best Series, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor as well as the Student Jury award and the Audience award.

Thrilled at the selection, director Asim Abbasi said, “At its core, Barzakh is a family drama framed within a world of supernatural beings and other worldly events. The genesis of the story stemmed from a personal loss and the fears that came with it, making me realise that love is indeed eternal and nudging me to write a story about it. The selection of Barzakh at the Series Mania is such a momentous yet humbling occasion for all of us, not only because it’s a show that’s so close to my heart but also because the selection is such a strong validation of our belief in this story which is now finding its way amongst the best in the world."

Shot in picturesque Hunza Valley in Pakistan, Barzakh blends together magical realism and supernatural fantasy within a family reunion setting, and deals with themes of love, loss and reconciliation.