We're a small independent film company out of Karachi. We make short films we'd actually want to sit down and watch — honest stories, shot with care, where every frame is there for a reason.
Hover any poster to roll footage. Every one of these started as a late-night idea that wouldn't leave me alone — and ended up on a screen somewhere in the world.
Award-winning shorts, a documentary, and the latest trailers — all in one place. No sign-up, no paywall. Press play and watch the work that travelled across 9 countries.
Every Cinegma story starts behind a camera. Grab it, spin it, let it glide — it moves the way we shoot: smooth.
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Behind the scenes, trailers and moments from the making of Cinegma Films. Follow @asadsyed711.
The whole story, straight from the studio — who we are, in sixty seconds. Sound on.
"I didn't grow up with a film school budget or fancy gear. I grew up with stories I couldn't stop thinking about, and a stubborn need to put them on screen the right way. So that's what Cinegma Films is. No shortcuts, no "it'll do." We shot Janjaal in 34 hours and then spent months getting the edit, the colour, and the sound exactly where they needed to be. That care is the whole point. If you watch one of our films and forget for a second that you're watching a film — that's the job done."
It hasn't been a straight line. Here's how a small Karachi crew ended up on festival screens around the world.
Started in January 2024 with a simple idea — make Pakistani short films with the same care that goes into the films we grew up admiring. No banner, no backing. Just the work.
A psychological thriller about a police officer and a cursed pocket watch. Filmed across Karachi in a single 34-hour stretch, then edited, graded, and mixed entirely in-house.
Janjaal played on a real cinema screen in Karachi — seeing it with an actual audience, in the dark, was the moment it all felt worth it.
Best Director, Best Short Film, Best Trailer — from Toronto and India to Scotland and Kosovo. 22 official festival selections and counting.
Three new films in the works — a dark thriller, a war drama, and a family story. The slate keeps growing. This part of the story is still being written.
Writers, directors, composers, and producers who make Cinegma Films what it is.
The performers who bring Cinegma Films' characters to life on screen.
Cinegma Films is an independent film production company founded in January 2024 and based in Karachi, Pakistan. Founded by filmmaker and director Syed Asad Raza Abidi, the banner was built around a single conviction: Pakistani short films and documentary cinema deserve to be made with the same precision and ambition as any internationally recognised production.
The company's debut production, Janjaal (Tussle), became one of the most awarded Pakistani short films in recent international festival history. Shot in 34 hours across Karachi and completed entirely in-house — direction, editing, color grading, VFX, and 5.1 surround sound — Janjaal earned 14 international awards across 9 countries and received a theatrical release at Arena Cinemas, Karachi in January 2025.
Within its first year of operation Cinegma Films achieved 22 global festival selections, with recognition at events in Canada, India, Scotland, Kosovo, and Pakistan — making it one of the most rapidly recognised independent production banners to emerge from Karachi's film scene.
The current slate includes the psychological thriller Zawaal (2026, in production), the war drama A Soldier Beside Me, and the family drama Payam e Dil. Cinegma Films also serves as a production partner to Silverlight Studios under Burrak Organization, and has collaborated with 7T7 Productions on narrative short film work.
Syed Asad Raza Abidi holds a BS in Film & TV Production from Indus University, Karachi (2025). He works across the full production pipeline — writing, directing, editing, color grading in DaVinci Resolve, and sound design — bringing an integrated creative control to each project that is rare in Pakistani independent cinema.
For Pakistani short film directors, Karachi-based film production services, independent film editing, color grading, or cinematography inquiries, Cinegma Films is available for commissions and collaborations. Contact: info@cinegmafilms.com.
