The Chalta Phirta Documentary Festival has returned, bringing independent documentary cinema back into public spaces across Pakistan once again.
Organised by the Documentary Association of Pakistan, the travelling festival enters its fourth edition with renewed cultural ambition. This year, the festival will travel to five cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Islamabad and Quetta.
By moving across regions, the initiative continues its mission to decentralise cultural access beyond major metropolitan hubs. The festival aims to introduce diverse audiences to documentary storytelling that challenges perspectives and encourages social reflection.
Through carefully curated screenings, it creates opportunities for filmmakers to connect with communities often excluded from cultural circuits. The programme features a mix of local and international works, with a strong emphasis on Pakistani documentary voices.
Audiences will experience four feature-length documentaries alongside eight short films during this edition.
Several films will have their Pakistani premieres, including internationally recognised and award-winning documentary projects. Participating films represent a wide range of countries, highlighting global issues through distinct cultural lenses.
This year’s selection includes works from Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Palestine, France, Iran and Sudan.
The festival follows an invite-only curation model, ensuring a focused and filmmaker-centred programme each edition. Rather than prioritising volume, the organisers emphasise thoughtful selection and meaningful engagement around each screening. Volunteer efforts by the DAP team remain central to the festival’s execution across multiple cities.
The event is supported by international cultural partners committed to promoting socially conscious cinema worldwide.
Key supporters this year include Movies That Matter and the Embassy of France in Islamabad.
Several local institutions have also extended cooperation by hosting screenings and providing logistical support.
In Gujranwala, The Learning Hub College serves as a venue partner for the festival.
Quetta Book Cafe and Sardar Hasan Musa College are supporting the festival’s activities in Quetta.
Lahore screenings are being hosted in cooperation with Alliance Française.
In Karachi, Nani Ghar offers a space for audiences to experience documentary storytelling in an intimate setting.
Islamabad’s screenings will take place at The Black Hole, continuing the festival’s outreach in the capital. Beyond screenings, the Documentary Association of Pakistan focuses on long-term development of documentary filmmaking. DAP was established as a collective initiative created by documentary filmmakers for documentary filmmakers.
Since 2016, the organisation has actively worked to expand access to local and international documentary films.
Regular screenings have helped cultivate audiences interested in non-fiction storytelling across different cities.
DAP also supports filmmakers through training workshops, mentorship programmes and networking opportunities.
The Chalta Phirta Documentary Festival stands as a reflection of these broader goals and sustained efforts.