Mah-e- Mir has been selected as Pakistan’s submission to the Oscars in the foreign films category. Directed by Anjum Shahzad and written by Sarmad Sehbai, the film explores the angst of a struggling modern poet who finds his travails mirrored in the life and work of the great Mir Taqi Mir.

Commenting on the selection, director Anjum Shahzad said ” This film was a labour of love. Each one of us is proud to have been a part of it.”

The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee is chaired by two-time Academy Award and Emmy winning documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and also includes many other luminaries from the world of film and theatre. Committee member Hasan Zaidi explained why Mah-e-Mir was chosen for this honour. “With its impressive cinematography and romanticism of the forgotten value of literature, the film’s characters and plot captured the struggle of the artist. We are very excited to put it forth as a sample of Pakistan’s rising standard of cinema.”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the final list of Oscar nominees on 24th January, 2017, with the presentation show for the 89th Academy Awards scheduled to take place on 26th February 2017.

Here’s wishing Mah-e-Mir all the best.