Harbin (GNP): Pakistan’s acclaimed action film The Legend of Maula Jatt has secured two honours at the closing ceremony of the 7th Jackie Chan International Action Film Week in Harbin, marking another international recognition for the Pakistani film industry.
The film received the Special Jury Award as well as the award for Best Art Direction during the international action-cinema event.
The recognition placed the Pakistani production alongside international action films, highlighting the growing global reach of South Asian cinema.
The awards ceremony took place outdoors in Harbin amid heavy rain, creating an unexpected but memorable moment for the film’s team.
The film’s director described the experience as surreal, recalling walking onto the stage in the pouring rain to accept the award while thousands of spectators watched.
For the director, the evening carried an additional personal significance because Jackie Chan’s name was associated with the event.
Chan’s work has influenced generations of action-film audiences around the world, including filmmakers and audiences in Pakistan.
The recognition also highlighted the contribution of the film’s art department. The Best Art Direction honour was dedicated to Namsa Abbasi and Hamza Bajwa, whose work helped create the distinctive visual world of The Legend of Maula Jatt.
The film’s director emphasized that the award belonged to the entire art team rather than being an individual achievement.
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The production’s sets, costumes, visual environments and overall design played an important role in creating the fictional world in which the story unfolds.
The director also acknowledged producer Ammara Hikmat, whose absence from the Harbin ceremony was felt by the team.
The achievement was described as a collective success involving everyone who contributed to the film.
The event also provided an opportunity for the Pakistani delegation to connect with one of the most recognizable names in global action cinema.
The director recalled growing up watching Jackie Chan’s films and described meeting Chan and receiving his congratulations as a moment that would have seemed unimaginable when the project began.
The achievement is significant for Pakistan’s film industry because The Legend of Maula Jatt has increasingly served as an example of how locally produced cinema can attract international attention.
The film combines Pakistani cultural imagery with large-scale action, distinctive production design and a traditional Punjabi storytelling style. Its recognition in Harbin also demonstrates the universal appeal of action cinema.
Despite differences in language and culture, action films can reach audiences through visual storytelling, physical performance and emotion.
The Jackie Chan International Action Film Week provides a platform for action cinema and brings together filmmakers, actors and industry professionals from different parts of the world.
For Pakistani cinema, the recognition of The Legend of Maula Jatt represents an opportunity to showcase the country’s creative and technical capabilities to a wider international audience.
The film’s team expressed gratitude to Jackie Chan, the organizers, the jury and their partners for the recognition.
They also thanked everyone involved in the film’s production and dedicated the achievement to Pakistan.
The two awards add another milestone to the international journey of The Legend of Maula Jatt, demonstrating that Pakistani action cinema can compete for recognition on international platforms.
From its distinctive visual identity to its ambitious action sequences, the film has demonstrated the potential of Pakistani filmmakers to produce cinema that carries a strong local identity while connecting with audiences beyond Pakistan.
For the filmmakers, however, the Harbin experience was about more than two trophies. It represented a moment of cultural exchange, international recognition and pride in Pakistani storytelling.
As the celebrations in Harbin came to an end, the message from the film’s team was simple, the awards belong to everyone who helped bring the world of The Legend of Maula Jatt to life, and ultimately to Pakistan.
