Iram Parveen Bilal’s award-winning Pakistani thriller Wakhri has secured a territory-by-territory international rollout instead of chasing a uniform global opening. Theatrical and broadcast releases are now confirmed for France, the U.K. and Ireland, Australia and Brazil this fall, with more territories to be announced over the coming months.
A release built around curators
The French leg begins in October through Salon Indien, a traveling film society devoted to South Asian women filmmakers. Curatorial platform Contre-courants has partnered with François-Xavier Durandy to launch the initiative, which will take its selections to venues around the country.
The match is deliberate. Salon Indien co-founder Helene Kessous described Wakhri as “funny, defiant and necessary” and said it belonged in the program from the start. Writer-director and co-producer Iram Parveen Bilal said the team waited for partners that fit “a film too special to fit a cookie-cutter distribution model.”
What the film is about
Wakhri draws on Pakistani women who have stood up to the patriarchy, including social media star Qandeel Baloch, who was murdered by her brother in 2016. Two first-time leads carry the story: Faryal Mehmood plays Noor, a young widow raising money to open a girls’ school, and Gulshan Majeed plays Gucchi, her cross-dressing best friend.
The territory map
- France: A theatrical run starting in October via Salon Indien’s traveling South Asian women filmmakers strand.
- U.K. and Ireland: Channel 4’s 2026 South Asian Film Season, available in October alongside All We Imagine as Light and Songs of Forgotten Trees.
- Australia and Brazil: SBS and Filmicca pickups; North America and other markets are expected later.
Why the long-tail route matters
For media planners and entertainment marketers, the release is a practical case study in long-tail distribution. Producer Apoorva Bakshi of Awedacious Originals said the approach allows “singular stories to travel on their own terms and build enduring audiences worldwide.” Rather than paying for one expensive global day-and-date, the producers are attaching the film to curators, broadcast seasons and regional buyers that already know how to reach South Asian and world-cinema audiences.
Producer Abid Aziz Merchant of Sanat Initiative framed the French deal as proof the story could not be shut down. “It is about the cost of a woman daring to take up space,” he said. That positioning gives each regional buyer a clear hook: the conversation travels beyond Pakistan.
What to watch next
North American and other releases are expected in the months ahead. Bilal is also a producer on Pakistan’s Dancers, currently participating in the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Project Market. If the French theatrical window and Channel 4’s season generate word of mouth, they could strengthen the film’s case for subsequent territory sales and streaming negotiations.
Source: Variety
