Islamabad — Pakistani filmmakers Sheryar Ali and Suhail Ahmad are proudly representing Pakistan on the global stage with their latest short films, A Door to My Memory (Yaadan de Boohay) and Toxicity, both of which have recently premiered at prestigious international film festivals to widespread acclaim.
Their film A Door to My Memory (Yaadan de Boohay), a Punjabi sci-fi romantic drama, had its world premiere at the Tasveer Film Festival in Seattle, Washington, USA — the only Oscar-qualifying South Asian film festival in the world. Directed by Sheryar Ali and produced by Suhail Ahmad, the film has received an overwhelming positive response for its originality and emotional depth.
Set in a dystopian world where memories are stored on external drives, the story follows Ashfaq, a 65-year-old man who struggles to hold onto fragments of his past as he runs out of memory space — a powerful metaphor for love, loss, and the fragility of human connection.
Following its success in the United States, A Door to My Memory has gone on to be officially selected at multiple Indian film festivals, including the Bollywood International Film Festival, International Kolkata Short Film Festival, and the Global Taj International Film Festival, where it currently stands as a semi-finalist.
Meanwhile, the filmmakers’ second project, Toxicity, continues to shine internationally. Co-directed by Suhail Ahmad and Sheryar Ali, the film just had its world premiere at the Festival Internazionale Nebrodi Cinema Doc in Sicily, Italy. The short — a hard-hitting look at the smog crisis in Pakistan — follows two young entrepreneurs who risk everything to prove that clean energy can save lives as pollution suffocates Lahore.
Toxicity was the only Pakistani film selected at the Sicilian festival and was nominated for Best Narrative Short, earning a “Menzione d’Onore” (means Honourable Mention) from the jury.
After the international success of these films, the filmmakers are now excited about bringing the projects home to audiences in Pakistan and are planning local releases soon.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
