Recognised by the Government of Pakistan · Licensed under the Trade Organizations Act, 2013
About the Association
Pakistan Film Producers Association was licensed by the Government of Pakistan in 1960 and is regulated today under the Trade Organizations Act, 2013. It is the recognised trade body of the country’s motion picture industry.
Who we are
The Association was formed in 1960 by twelve of the country’s founding film houses, among them Evernew Pictures & Studios, Shahnoor Films, Evergreen Pictures and Kamal Pictures, to aid, assist, encourage and develop the motion picture industry in Pakistan in all suitable ways.
Its licence was granted under section 26 of the Companies Act, 1913 on 27 January 1960 by the Ministry of Commerce, and the Association was incorporated at Lahore on 26 March 1960 as a company limited by guarantee. It is a non-profit body: its income and property are applied solely towards the promotion of its objects, and no portion is paid to members by way of dividend or bonus.
The Association’s jurisdiction extends across the whole of Pakistan, including the State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Its registered office is in Lahore, with Circle Offices at Karachi and Peshawar and the power to open branch offices anywhere in the country.
Eighteen statutory objects are set out in the Memorandum of Association. They range from film title registration and the protection of intellectual property to arbitration between members, the training of technicians, and securing foreign markets for Pakistani films.
The Chairman
Chairman of the Pakistan Film Producers Association for the 2024 to 2026 term. Director, producer and writer, and a recipient of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.
National honour
Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, 2023
Role
Director, Producer, Writer
Term
2024 to 2026
Education
MA, University of the Punjab
Shehzad Rafique is a Pakistani filmmaker and cultural leader whose career spans more than three decades. Respected for his contribution to both commercial and parallel cinema, he is regarded as one of Pakistan’s most credible directors and producers, with a sustained international presence.
He began as a producer with the blockbusters Ghoonghat (1996) and Nikkah (1998), before turning to direction with Rukhsati (2002), Salakhain (2004), Mohabbatan Sachiyan (2007), Ishq Khuda (2013) and Salute (2016). His art film Shackles Yet to Open (2010) represented Pakistan at numerous international festivals and leading universities worldwide. Salute, based on the life of Shaheed Aitzaz Hassan, was recognised as part of Pakistan’s National Action Plan against Terrorism and screened across colleges and universities in Punjab. He has also directed three television serials: Yeh Mera Deewanapan, Masoom and Wafa Lazim To Nahi.
His films have been selected and screened at the SAARC Film Festivals (Sri Lanka, 1999 and 2017), Beijing International Film Festival (2002), Dubai International Film Festival, South Asian Film Festival, Kara Film Festival (Delhi, 2007), Muscat International Film Festival (2010), Punjabi International Film Festival (Canada, 2013) and Tashkent International Film Festival. Three of his films, Ghoonghat, Nikkah and Rukhsati, were officially selected for screening in China in full compliance with Chinese film policy, a distinction formally acknowledged by the Chinese authorities as the only Pakistani director-producer to meet that criterion. After a forty year gap six Pakistani films were exhibited in India, two of them, Salakhain and Mohabbatan Sachiyan, produced and directed by him.
Welcome to Punjab (2025) won the International Audience Award at the Baku Film Breeze International Film Festival in Azerbaijan. He served as an International Jury Member at the SCO International Film Festival in China in 2025 and as a member of the Pakistan Oscar Selection Committee for 2025.
He was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 2023 by the Government of Pakistan, and is a recipient of the Nigar, Graduate and Mussawir Awards. A frequent guest speaker, he has lectured at Government College University Lahore, COMSATS University Lahore, Superior University, University of Central Punjab, Punjab University, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Sargodha University, Virtual University and the LUMS International Film Festival. His work explores tolerance, spirituality, women’s agency, social justice and national identity, and he is widely regarded as a pioneer of modern production and post-production technique in Pakistan, working with international studios on editing, colour grading and sound design.
The Chairman is supported by a Senior Vice Chairman, a Vice Chairman and fourteen elected members of the Executive Committee, notified to the Directorate General of Trade Organizations and the SECP.
