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.
World Culture Festival — Karachi 2026 · Third Edition
Azad, a fisherman, is found alive on a boat full of dead bodies. During his interrogation, police officer Raza discovers a cursed golden pocket watch that grants wishes — with deadly consequences. A Pakistani thriller about greed, fate and the dangerous price of unearned desires.
Registration is mandatory. Entry is free — register on the Arts Council website to reserve your place.
14 Awards · 9 Countries
Two years of work in one cut — the films, the frames and the moments that travelled across 9 countries. Directed, shot, edited and graded in-house at Cinegma Films, Karachi. Sound on.
New wins, new selections and new places to watch. Hover to pause, tap to open.
AwardJanjaal · TorontoWinner — Best Short FilmToronto Fantasy/Sci-Fi Film & Screenplay Festival 2026
Payam e Dil · KolkataTagore Film AwardsOfficial Selection, 2026
Now StreamingPortrait of Life on ARY+Streaming on the ARY+ app
AwardCedar Film FestivalBest Direction & Best Short FilmTwo trophies home
Now StreamingPayam e Dil on ARY+Gandhara 2026 Official Selection
New ShortMaa (ماں)The Short Film Channel 2026
Portrait of LifeFLAME FirstCut 2026Official Selection
AwardJanjaalBest EditingIqra University film awards
Payam e DilICJ International Film AwardOfficial Selection 2026
In The PressStartup PakistanOn Syed Asad Raza Abidi & JanjaalTap a poster to open the film. On desktop, hover to roll footage.
Stills from Janjaal, Portrait of Life, Payam e Dil and the coastline we keep going back to. Hover to pause, tap to open full size.
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Screenings, Q&As and award nights — the part of filmmaking that happens after the edit.
Behind the scenes, trailers and moments from the making of Cinegma Films. Follow @asadsyed711.
Timeline breakdowns from our sound design work — every layer, every hit. Turn the sound on.
Dialogue edit, foley, ambience, effects and the final mix — done in-house for our films and for clients. Re-scores of scenes like No Country for Old Men are how we keep sharp.
Sound Design Services →The making of Janjaal and Portrait of Life, our short Chupke Chupke, trailers and sound breakdowns. New uploads appear here first.
Writers, directors, composers, and producers who make Cinegma Films what it is.
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, the Pakistani short film 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.
