Pakistani crime thriller ‘Jujji’ picked up for global release by Buffalo 8

ISLAMABAD: US-based film company Buffalo 8 has acquired global distribution rights to Jujji, a Pakistani crime thriller directed by Habib Shahzad and written by Ahmad Umar Ayaz.

Produced by BHM Films in collaboration with Yūgen Studios and Lollipop, the neo-noir film follows two detectives pursuing a serial killer in Rawalpindi. Muhammad Arsalan stars as the murderer, while Mustafa Rizvi and Anjum Habibi play SI Naveed and Constable Arshad.

As the investigation unfolds, both officers are forced to confront their moral boundaries, blurring the lines between justice and revenge.

“Jujji is not just a film — it’s a statement that Pakistani cinema can take risks and still resonate globally,” Shahzad said. “We wanted to capture the soul of Rawalpindi while making it universally human.”

The film took two years to complete and began as an independent effort to bring stories from Rawalpindi to an international audience. It has already won multiple honours, including Best Film at the Gandhara Independent Film Festival 2024 and Best Feature at the Punjab Police Film Festival 2024. It was also screened at the Divvy Film Festival earlier this year.

Buffalo 8’s head of distribution, Nikki Stier Justice, described Jujji as a “bold, genre-defying thriller” that merges authentic South Asian storytelling with global appeal. “It’s the kind of film that challenges conventions while signalling the exciting global evolution of independent cinema,” she said.

Based in Santa Monica, Buffalo 8 manages production, post-production, financing and distribution for independent films.

Jujji will launch on demand in the U.S. and U.K. on November 21 via Amazon and Verizon Fios/Vubiquity, with additional international releases to follow.