Szabist is holding a Media Festival from 24-29 Feb 2020

SZABIST’s 15th ZAB Media Festival (ZMF) invites everyone to join and explore the future of the media landscape, with a power-packed roster that promises engaging discussions. Third and final year students from the Bachelor of Media Sciences department have put together an exciting line-up of events, under their faculty’s guidance.

With ZMF taking place from the 24th to the 29th of February in 2020, this year students celebrate the 15th annual celebration at SZABIST, while also commemorating 25 years of the institute itself. The 6-day event, with an agenda consisting of media-centric dialogues and creative expression, will be focusing on a variety of things each day.

The opening night, on 24th February, begun with speeches from the President, Madam Shahnaz Wazir Ali, the Vice President, Dr. Altaf Mukati and the Head of the Department, Mr. Taimur Suri. Gracing the festival as the keynote speaker, was Mr. Waseem Badami.

The second day follows on 25th February, dedicated to film & television with numerous panel discussions amongst media professionals. It begins at 2 PM with the ‘Man With A Movie Camera’ panel, which includes names like Mohsin Allah Ditta, Eruj Hadi, Waqi Khan, Moiz Qazi, and Mohsin Kamal, moderated by Omair Alvi.

Right after this panel, there will be the screening of Fahad Naveed’s brilliantly crafted film, ‘Puff Puff Pak’ at 3 PM, moderated by a Q/A session by Sajeer Shaikh.

Later on the second day, they have ‘Act In Actress’ panel at 4:45 PM, consisting of female celebrities like Marina Khan, Ayesha Omar, Amar Khan, Mansha Pasha, and Sonya Hussyn, with the panel being moderated by Fifi Haroon. This iconic line-up will be dissecting the eras that have passed and will look forward to the era that is to be welcomed with open arms and minds.

The third day on 26th February will be a glimpse into the world of advertising and design. The photography and design exhibitions will begin at 2 PM, where visitors and onlookers will be able to see how well participants and students narrowed down their creative processes while adhering to the themes provided.

At 3 PM, they will have ‘Welcome to Advertising, Now Get Lost!’ panel, that ventures forth to explain the nuances of the world of advertising. Nida Siddiqui, Adil Hussain, Naveed Arshad, Tasneem Lakhani will be its part. The panel will be moderated by Farhat Kapadia Mehboob who will explore the digital and conventional world of advertising.

The design seminar will follow at 4 PM, observing how advertising is incomplete without those who make strategies and ideas come to life with design. It will feature panelists like Osama Sarwar, Farzana Abdullah, Saher Khan, and Jibran T. Siddiqui, moderated by SZABIST’s own program manager, Ms. Mehwish Zara Zaidi, all of whom will demonstrate where design and advertising meet.

Influencers are integral to any society in this era, for they’re ruling the digital sphere, as of late. Expect tons of opinions as influencers such as Riffat Rashid, Muhammad Moiz, Bushra Joyo, and Shehzad Ghias take center stage, with Akbar Chaudhry moderating the ‘The Digital Brigade: Influencing the Influencer’ panel at 5 PM.

The fourth day on 27th February is all about journalism and PR. The “Vanity Fair: Fashion, Journalism and the World in Between” panel at 2 PM is where some of the biggest names in the industry will amalgamate, dissecting how fashion and lifestyle journalism go hand in hand, and neither can survive without the other. This panel invites names like Mohsin Sayeed, Wardha Saleem, Mushk Kaleem, and Tehmina Khaled, with Nubain Ali moderating the panel.

Following this, the fourth day will have the ‘The Rumour Mill: Celebrity Writings and Its Pitfalls’ panel at 3 PM. This panel invites entertainment journalists from around the country, such as Express Tribune’s Asfa Sultan, Samaa and Cutacut’s Manal Faheem Khan, alongside Ali Rehman Khan, Ramsha Khan, Anoushey Ashraf and Mashal Khan, with Diva Magazine’s Shahjehan Saleem moderating the panel.

Lastly, they have the ‘The Other Side of Silence: Media and Censorship’ panel at 4 PM. As it becomes increasingly difficult to create art with concrete freedom of expression, this panel invites Atiya Abbas, Sadaf Abdul Jabbar, alongside Asma Nabeel, Rahul Aijaz and moderator Faisal Kapadia, to discuss where the censorship is leading society and media.

The fifth day; 28th February, will begin at 4 PM with ‘Genres of Tomorrow’. The panel will feature a mix of musicians, such as Anas Lutfi from Tamasha, up-and-coming singer Taha Hussain, Nasir Zaka from Auj, Ahmed Zawar from E-Sharp, alongside journalist Madeeha Syed, and moderator Dino Ali. The aim will be to dissect the future of music, while also reflecting on the past.

The ‘Music, Performance and Pakistan’ panel will follow at 5 PM. There’s a wide-range of talent that lies in the country when it comes to music, dance, and performance, and this panel aims to explore exactly that through the discourse brought forward by names like Tina Sani, Sheema Kirmani, Natasha Baig and Junaid Khan, moderated by Mr. Taimur Suri.

Right after this, there will be a brief musical session by Yamaha at 6 PM, after which ZMF will open the floor to a new wave of therapy that promises to relieve the audiences through a participatory circle of rhythmic drum music. This drum therapy session will take place at 7 PM, after which the open mic night will begin at 8 PM onwards, where students can step up and showcase their talent.

The sixth and final day on 29th February will feature a festival address by Mr. Shahjehan Saleem and a closing speech by the program manager of the media sciences department, Ms. Mehwish Zara Zaidi. This will be followed by a performance for SZABIST’s alumni.