How Pakistan’s Oscar Hope ‘Hun Dan’ Fell Through the Cracks

News Desk 

Islamabad: Pakistan’s official submission for the 98th Academy Awards, Hun Dan—the country’s first feature film in the Burushaski language—failed to qualify for Oscar consideration due to documentary and administrative shortcomings, leaving Pakistan without a film in the race this year.

The Pakistan Oscar Selection Committee had selected Hun Dan as the country’s official entry in the International Feature Film category. However, despite the selection, the film did not advance to the Academy Awards submission stage.

Speaking to Geo Digital, director Karamat Ali said he was informed via email that Hun Dan had been declared Pakistan’s official submission. He added that the production team subsequently uploaded all required documents through the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ official online portal.

According to Ali, the team later received an email from the Academy stating that the submitted documentation was incomplete. “We immediately re-submitted all the required paperwork,” he said.

However, instead of receiving confirmation, the team was informed that the documents had not been completed within the stipulated timeframe, rendering the film ineligible.

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Ali further revealed that the Academy later sent another email referencing incomplete documents for a different film, Palestine 36, despite Hun Dan being Pakistan’s selected entry.

In response, Pakistan Oscar Selection Committee Chairman Muhammad Ali Naqvi (Mo Naqvi) contacted the Academy to clarify that Hun Dan—not Palestine 36—was Pakistan’s official submission.

The director said Mo Naqvi remained in continuous contact with Academy officials and extended full cooperation. The Academy later acknowledged its error; however, the issue surrounding Hun Dan’s submission could not be resolved within the required timeline.

Ali expressed gratitude to Mo Naqvi for his support throughout the process. Attempts by Geo Digital to contact Mo Naqvi for comment were unsuccessful.

Under Academy Awards rules for 2025, films submitted for the International Feature Film category must have been commercially screened in their home country for at least seven consecutive days between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, with at least 50 per cent of the dialogue in a non-English language. The submission deadline for this year was October 1.

Ali maintained that all required documents for Hun Dan were submitted online before the deadline. Despite the setback, he said the film’s selection as Pakistan’s official entry remains a significant achievement for the team.

Hun Dan is based on a folk tale from Hunza and explores themes of harmony between nature and human life.