Fadu Shake (Fahad Shaikh)

Rūng Film Fest 2026 Day 1 🇵🇰📽️ #rungfilmfestival #rungfilmfest2026 #houston #pakistan #indusartscouncil

The moment is finally here! The third annual Rūng Film Festival begins tonight with a special Meet & Greet event featuring actor Samiya Khan known for "Ramadan America," "Under the Influencer" and her latest film "SAANVI." Join us this evening as we launch an incredible festival weekend celebrating Pakistani storytelling, South Asian creativity, independent cinema, and the amazing artists bringing these stories to life on the big screen. 🎬🇵🇰 ✨ Meet filmmakers, artists, actors, and community members ✨ Celebrate the start of Rūng Film Festival 2026 ✨ Connect with Pakistani and South Asian creatives ✨ Get ready for a powerful weekend of films, panels, culture, and community 📍 Meet & Greet 🗓 Friday, May 15, 2026 🕡 6:30 PM 📌 Holiday Inn Express & Suites Houston SW - Galleria Area, an IHG Hotel 6978 Windwater Pkwy N, Houston, TX 77036 RSVP now: /FridayWithTipu Then join us May 16 to 17 at MATCH for a full weekend of unforgettable films, special guests, panels, and community celebration. Houston, let’s make this an unforgettable opening night and an incredible festival weekend! 🎥✨ #rungfilmfestival #rungfilmfest2026 #houston #pakistan #indusartscouncil

The moment is finally here! The third annual Rūng Film Festival begins tonight with a special Meet & Greet event featuring actor Kamran Shaikh, known for "Outer Banks," "Law & Order," and "Haunted Mansion!" Join us this evening as we launch an incredible festival weekend celebrating Pakistani storytelling, South Asian creativity, independent cinema, and the amazing artists bringing these stories to life on the big screen. 🎬🇵🇰 ✨ Meet filmmakers, artists, actors, and community members ✨ Celebrate the start of Rūng Film Festival 2026 ✨ Connect with Pakistani and South Asian creatives ✨ Get ready for a powerful weekend of films, panels, culture, and community 📍 Meet & Greet 🗓 Friday, May 15, 2026 🕡 6:30 PM 📌 Holiday Inn Express & Suites Houston SW - Galleria Area, an IHG Hotel (6978 Windwater Pkwy N, Houston, TX 77036) RSVP now: /FridayWithTipu Then join us May 16 to 17 at MATCH for a full weekend of unforgettable films, special guests, panels, and community celebration. Houston, let’s make this an unforgettable opening night and an incredible festival weekend! 🎥✨ #rungfilmfestival #rungfilmfest2026 #houston #pakistan #indusartscouncil

Honored to be invited on @houstonmatters alongside the co-founder of @rungfilmfest and another htx filmmaker @hiba__s to talk about independent filmmaking, storytelling, and what’s happening here in Houston’s creative scene. Such an amazing experience and truly grateful for the opportunity. Huge thank you to the entire Rūng team for creating space for filmmakers like us to share our work and connect with audiences. Excited for everyone coming out this weekend to watch these films. Our feature film Jyoti is officially sold out already, and we honestly can’t wait to experience it with a Houston audience. 🎬

Thank you to our 2026 Sponsors and Community Partners! 🫡📽️ Rūng Film Festival 2026 would not be possible without the incredible support of our sponsors, funders, and community partners who believe in Pakistani storytelling, independent cinema, and the power of culture to bring people together. We are deeply grateful to every organization and business helping us bring the third annual Rūng Film Festival to life in Houston this year. Your support helps us uplift Pakistani and South Asian filmmakers, create space for underrepresented voices, and build a vibrant festival experience for artists, audiences, and the wider community. 🌟 Platinum Sponsors The City of Houston - Houston Arts Alliance The Law Offices of Omar Khawaja, PLLC 🌟 Gold Sponsor Texas Commission on the Arts 🌟 Silver Sponsors H-E-B Graphic Matters Elima Designs Lasbela 🌟 Community Partners ARWA Yemeni Coffee Eden Film Co La Haveli Shoot At Sight Thank you for standing with Rūng Film Festival and helping us celebrate cinema, heritage, creativity, diversity, and community. 🗓 May 16-17, 2026 📍 MATCH, Houston 🎟 Buy your tickets now at rungfilmfest.org/box-office/ #rungfilmfestival #rungfilmfest2026 #houston #pakistan #indusartscouncil

Meet the Grand Jury for Rūng Film Festival 2026! 🎬👥 Each year, Rūng Film Festival invites distinguished professionals from the filmmaking industry to serve as Grand Jury Judges. These judges review our independent film submissions for artistic merit, storytelling, and technical quality, helping recognize films that are diverse, powerful, and professionally executed. We are honoured to welcome this year’s Grand Jury: ✨ Sarmad Sultan Khoosat One of Pakistan’s most influential creative forces, Sarmad is an acclaimed director, actor, producer, and screenwriter whose work has helped shape Pakistani cinema, television, and theatre. His credits include Manto, Zindagi Tamasha, and Joyland. ✨ Apoorva Bakshi An International Emmy Award-winning South Asian producer, Apoorva is known for Delhi Crime, The Hunt for Veerappan, WOMB, The Glassworker, Starch, and Jooyein. She is a champion of independent voices and has distributed more than 50 award-winning films worldwide. ✨ Abubakar Khan A feature film producer with deep expertise in development, film financing, and service productions, Abubakar has worked on projects including The Glassworker, The Alchemy of Being Okay, Running Dry, and Mustache, a SXSW 2023 Audience Award winner. Together, our Grand Jury brings extraordinary experience, insight, and care to the awards selection process, helping Rūng Film Festival celebrate bold Pakistani and South Asian storytelling from around the world. Come celebrate the films, meet the artists, and experience the colours of our cinema! 🗓 May 16-17, 2026 📍 MATCH, Houston 🎟 Buy your tickets now at rungfilmfest.org/box-office/ #rungfilmfestival #rungfilmfest2026 #houston #pakistan #indusartscouncil

Indus Echoes (Directed by Rahul Aijaz) Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Korea - Runtime 1:11:52 - Match Box 1 3:00 PM Sunday May 17, 2026 Block 5: Feature (Celebrating Sindhi Language) Indus Echoes explores the relationship between humans and the great Indus River through five stories set on, across and around the mighty river. 🎟 Buy your tickets now at rungfilmfest.org/box-office/ This film is not rated by Rūng Film Festival. We recommend teen and/or above audiences. #rungfilmfestival #rungfilmfest2026 #houston #pakistan #indusartscouncil

How are Pakistani and South Asian creatives shaping the future of storytelling in Texas? 🎥✨ Join us for New Roots, New Reels: Pakistani Filmmakers in Texas, a compelling panel discussion spotlighting filmmakers, actors, writers, and producers building their artistic and professional identities in Houston. As one of the most diverse cities in the U.S., Houston is emerging as a powerful hub for global storytelling. This conversation will explore how South Asian creatives are finding community, creating opportunities, and bringing new perspectives to the screen. ✨ Featuring: Ali Jaura (Filmmaker) Fahad Shaikh (Producer) Faisal Rasheed (Producer) Yasir Raza (Filmmaker) Kamran Shaikh (Moderator, Actor) Whether you are a filmmaker, actor, writer, producer, or film lover, this panel is not to be missed! 🕔 Sunday, May 17 • 5:00 PM 🎟️ Free to attend, open to all teen and adult audiences! 🗓️ May 16–17, 2026 🎟 Buy your tickets now at rungfilmfest.org/box-office/! #rungfilmfestival #rungfilmfest2026 #houston #pakistan #indusartscouncil

The Boy with the Dinosaur Head (Directed by Imran J Khan) US - Runtime 10:00 - Match Box 1 1:11 PM Sunday May 17, 2026 Block 4: Mix of Shorts A troubled first-grader is convinced he's a dinosaur, much to the chagrin of the teacher tasked with bringing him back down to earth. What passes between them, though fragile, tender and brief, is enough to change how they'll remember this day forever. 🎟 Buy your tickets now at rungfilmfest.org/box-office/ This film is not rated by Rūng Film Festival. We recommend teen and/or above audiences. #rungfilmfestival #rungfilmfest2026 #houston #pakistan #indusartscouncil

🎬🇵🇰 THE RŪNG FILM FESTIVAL 2026 TRAILER IS HERE! 🇵🇰🎬 Houston, get ready for a powerful celebration of Pakistani storytelling, South Asian creativity, and bold independent cinema from around the world! The third annual Rūng Film Festival returns May 16 to 17, 2026 at MATCH in Houston, bringing together unforgettable films, special guests, inspiring panels, and a vibrant community of filmmakers, artists, and audiences. Rūng was created to give Pakistani filmmakers and creatives a platform to share stories that reflect a wider range of lived experiences. The festival continues to grow as a vital space for voices that are too often underrepresented in mainstream entertainment. This year’s trailer offers a glimpse into an unforgettable lineup of films exploring identity, memory, migration, womanhood, beauty, trauma, humour, survival, resilience, love, and the stories that shape who we are. ✨ Films from Pakistan, the United States, Canada, India, and South Korea ✨ A dedicated block of women-directed short films ✨ Powerful documentaries, dramas, comedies, thrillers, horror, and landmark regional cinema ✨ Special appearances by Adnan Shah Tipu, Kamran Shaikh, and Samiya Khan ✨ Free public panels on film funding, social impact, minority women in cinema, Houston’s future as a production hub, and Pakistani filmmakers in Texas Rūng Film Festival is the only festival for, of, and by Pakistani American creatives, and this year’s festival is our biggest and most exciting yet. 🎟 Buy your tickets now at rungfilmfest.org/box-office/ 🗓 May 16-17, 2026 📍 MATCH, Houston Come experience the stories. Come meet the artists. Come celebrate the colours of our cinema. Trailer edited by @isaaccookfilmmaker . #rungfilmfestival #rungfilmfest2026 #houston #pakistan #indusartscouncil

A Better Place (Directed by Ali Sohail Jaura) Pakistan - Runtime 12:22 - Match Box 1 12:59 PM Sunday May 17, 2026 Block 4: Mix of Shorts After being abandoned by her mother on a bus stop in the city of Seoul, 7-year old Jia has nowhere to go. As the night gets darker, she sees light in a stranger, an illegal South Asian immigrant stuck in South Korea after unsuccessfully performing “Donkey Flight”. The unlikely pair survives the night by forming an unusual connection by making brave and at times, difficult choices. 🎟 Buy your tickets now at rungfilmfest.org/box-office/ This film is not rated by Rūng Film Festival. We recommend teen and/or above audiences. #rungfilmfestival #rungfilmfest2026 #houston #pakistan #indusartscouncil

Exit Interview (Directed by Yasir Raza) US - Runtime 6:00 - Match Box 1 12:52 PM Sunday May 17, 2026 Block 4: Mix of Shorts 🎟 Buy your tickets now at rungfilmfest.org/box-office/ This film is not rated by Rūng Film Festival. We recommend teen and/or above audiences. #rungfilmfestival #rungfilmfest2026 #houston #pakistan #indusartscouncil