Lucia goes to Pakistan

The much acclaimed Kannada movie Lucia directed by Pawan Kumar, which was screened at various international film festivals including London, Zurich and Paris, was screened in Karachi on Friday.

The film, which blurs the line between reality and dream, appealed greatly to the audience, say its makers.

As mail and courier routes are restricted between India and Pakistan for political reasons,

Lucia was sent to Pakistan through the virtual world and was screened by independent film makers and movie enthusiasts there.

“Kuchee Talkies, a group of film buffs, heard about the content of the film through the international media and of how it was made through crowdfunding. They requested for a copy of the film. We uploaded the film through mail. They downloaded and screened it,” Mr. Kumar told

The Hindu .

The director said the response was overwhelming and Lucia got a standing ovation when the end credits rolled.

Mr. Kumar interacted with the audience in Karachi for 15 minutes over Skype. The audience posed questions on the concept, crowdfunding and distribution.

Lucia was made on a shoestring budget of Rs. 50 lakh.

Besides advising film buffs in Pakistan to begin their careers by making short movies, Mr. Kumar promised to accord permission to those who wished to produce Lucia in different languages.