Map of Participating Countries

Map of Participating Countries – SAFF Canada 2012

Map Instructions

Use your mouse to hover over a country and view information.

Click on a country to visit the SAFF Canada page dedicated to that country.

Bhutan

Bhutan’s film industry is a young and growing one. In 1988 the first Bhutanese produced movie, “Gasa Lama Singye”, came to life. Gasa Lama Singye is a tragic love story based on true events that draws comparissons to Romeo and Juliet. The first movie considered a Bhutanese blockbuster is “Jigdrel” by Norling, 1998.

According to the Motion Pictures Association of Bhutan (MPAB, founded 1999) between 1989 and 2005 there were 60 movies produced. Latest numbers from MPAB show 116 films produced since 2008 with 14 registered production companies.

India

India’s film industry took root in 1986 when the Lumiere brothers’ Cinématographe screened six short silent films at Watson’s Hotel in Bombay (now Mumbai). It was 1898 when in Calcutta Hiralal Sen started producing short films shot from the live theatre production, “The Flower of Persia”. The first full length motion picture was the 1913 silent film “Raja Harishchandra” produced by Dadasaheb Phalke. As seen in many cultures originally the female characters in Raja Harishchandra were played by male actors.

Maldives

The first feature film produced in the Maldives, “Thin Fiyavalhu”, was in 1979. The Maldivian film industry is commonly refered to as Dhivehi Cinema which is derived from the name of their native language, Dhivehi. Currently the Maldivian film industry is not large but maintains a solid production rate of roughly ten feature films a year and demand is growing. The capital city of Malé houses their largest cinema known as Olympus.

Nepal

Nepal’s film industry begins with “Satya Harishchandra” which dates back to 2008 B.E. (~1951) a feature film that was produced in Kolkata, India. The first Nepali film produced in Nepal is “Aama” by the Information Department of Government of Nepal, 2021 B.E. (~1964). “Maitghar”, 2023 B.E. (~1966) by Sumonanjali Films Pvt. Ltd. is credited with the first Nepali film produced privately.

Pakistan Film Industry

The Pakistan film industry as defined today began in 1947 when the country officially separated from India. The first feature film produced in Pakistan was “Teri Yaad” which premiered at the Parbhat Theatre in Lahore. Prior to 1947 the Pakistani film industry shares its roots with India and dates back to 1896 when six short silent films by the Lumiere brothers’ Cinématographe were screened at Watson’s Hotel in Bombay (now Mumbai). In 1898 Hiralal Sen started filming scenes in Calcutta from the live theatre production, “The Flower of Persia”.