Lollywood! Pakistani Film Posters

“Lollywood!  Pakistani Film Posters” is the fourth exhibition of the “Arts of People” series which introduces a variety of art forms that are the part of people’s daily lives in Asia.

‘Lollywood’, similar to Hollywood in the United States and Bollywood (film industry of Bombay) in India, refers to Pakistani film industry and film culture centred in the ancient city of Lahore.  This exhibition presents some 100 Lollywood film posters from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Film production started in 1947 in Pakistan and more than 130 films were produced at the height of the industry in the 1970s.  In recent years, foreign films have come to be accessible via DVD and cable TV, which has lead to a gradual decline in the domestic film industry.  However, cinema is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in Pakistan and films containing dance and music are still widely loved.

Although film posters are ephemeral with a lifetime measured until the next film is released, it is visually attractive to draw the attention of the public and it functions more than a mere advertising medium.  In part, it is an amalgamation of an eventful story and the charms of the film stars.  The most striking scenes of the film are chosen for the poster.  Such posters reflect not only the world of the film but social conditions, atmosphere, fashions of the period and the different facets of Pakistani culture.