Lali

Panorama 2026

In the dappled shade of the jamun tree and the spice-laden hush of her kitchen, Zeba moves like a whisper. Newly wed to Sajawal, a man-child haunted by his own reflection, she seeks refuge in two women: Sohni Ammi, her feisty mother-in-law whose sharp tongue hides a big heart; and Bholi, her quiet neighbour whose gaze holds a strange wisdom. Zeba’s past looms large: three suitors lost before they could marry her whose deaths hang like a curse. Love stirs, but Sajawal’s paranoia festers. Bodies become battlegrounds, desire turns to anarchy. Lali is a darkly comic fever dream from the city of Sahiwal’s shantytowns, where ghosts walk with the living and prophecies press heavy.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

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by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat (Director, Screenplay), Sundus Hashmi (Screenplay)
with Mamya Shajaffar, Channan Hanif, Rasti Farooq, Farazeh Syed, Mehar Bano Pakistan 2026 Punjabi 116' Colour World premiere

With

Mamya Shajaffar (Zeba)
Channan Hanif (Sajawal)
Rasti Farooq (Bholi)
Farazeh Syed (Sohni Ammi)
Mehar Bano (Noor Jahan)

Crew

Director	Sarmad Sultan Khoosat
Screenplay	Sarmad Sultan Khoosat, Sundus Hashmi
Cinematography	Khizer Idrees
Editing	Saim Sadiq
Music	Abdullah Siddiqui
Sound Design	Lala Ahsan
Production Design	Kanwal Khoosat
Costumes	Ayesha Imran, Zoya Hassan
Make-Up	Habil Sadeeq, Rija Kashif
Casting	Saim Sadiq
Producer	Kanwal Khoosat
Executive Producers	Tooba Siddiqui, Faisal Shah, Umar Malik, Hasan Tahir, Raza Shaukat Latif, Fatima Raza Latif
Co-Producer	Asil Baqa

Produced by

Khoosat Films

Lahore, Pakistan

World Sales

Luminalia Film

Bologna, Italy

Photos

Sarmad Sultan Khoosat

The filmmaker is part of a cohort currently shaping South Asian cinema. The feature films Circus of Life, which he directed, and Joyland, which he produced, were both official Oscar entries for Pakistan, with the latter winning the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. His film Kamli premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. His work is known for its fearless, nuanced exploration of human emotions and societal complexities and has won him the Pakistani Pride of Performance award.

Filmography

2015 Manto 2019 Zindagi Tamasha (Circus of Life) 2022 Kamli 2026 Lali; Berlinale 2026

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026