Habib University partners with Karachi Film Society to host Media Fest 2024

KARACHI: Habib University, a premier liberal arts institution, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Karachi Film Society to host a two-day conference Media Fest on March 6 and March 7 on its campus.

 The partnership with Karachi Film Society, brainchild of Hum TV President Sultana Siddiqui, stands as testament to Habib University’s commitment to encouraging different forms of thought and building sustainable bridges between different sectors of society.

The two-day conference is set to feature rigorous discussions between media practitioners and academics, who are deeply aware that quality higher education and intelligent media production are vital for the development of state and society. Moreover, it will address some of the challenges facing the media industry today.

 The MoU was signed between Habib University President Wasif Rizvi and Karachi Film Society Founder Sultana Siddiqui. Both parties expressed immense gratitude at the collaboration.

“Habib University is a dream come true for me too. It is such a wonderful institution that collaborating with it is truly an honor,” said Sultana Siddiqui.

Karachi Film Society was established in 2018 and continuously organizing the Film Festival as well. This time it’s different from Film Festival, said Sultana Siddiqui.

“This agreement is a testament to a ‘uniqueness’ that suggests something substantial, and a bridge has been established. Even the nature of the upcoming film festival has transformed into an intellectual conference, allowing the university and industry to become close partners,” said Wasif Rizvi.

He further remarked on the necessity of such a momentous partnership between media and academia given the pervasive role of both in shaping the country’s future.

Commenting on the MoU, Christie Marie Lauder, Assistant Professor at Habib University’s School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, said that the collaboration between Karachi Film Society and Habib University “is a fantastic opportunity to bring together media and academia, and to talk about the developments and the future of film and media in Pakistan. She pointed out on how media is transforming day by day with and producing short films and documentaries. This kind of content is more digestive for audience”

“The synergy of industry and the prospective creative producers such as Habib students, can knit together a roadmap that is conscious of our past mistakes and aware of the promise of the future,” said Rafay Mahmood, faculty member at Habib University.

In attendance at the ceremony were Habib University’s leadership, esteemed board members of the Karachi Film Society Ronak Lakhani, Sayeeda Laghari and Dr Khursheed Qureshi, as well as Badar Ikram, Senior Vice President at Hum Network and Misbah Khalid.