Presented by Vancouver International Film Festival, in community partnership with Indian Summer Festival

Lali traces the lives of Zeba and Sajawal, a couple who both carry wounds that refuse to heal, and whose union feels less like a choice and more like destiny. Sajawal has a prominent birthmark that makes him insecure and suspicious, and he enters the relationship with anxieties about masculinity and self-worth. Meanwhile, Zeba carries the stigma of misfortune: although thrice engaged in the past, all three of her fiancés died before their wedding could take place. Sarmad Khoosat’s film explores the fragile boundaries between love, fear, trauma, and obsession within the institution of marriage.

Through its evocative visual language — lingering on faces, textures, and spaces — Lali allows emotion to emerge through silence as much as through dialogue. The film’s compelling cinematic language is perhaps its greatest strength, offering a bold and deeply personal exploration of family, marriage, and inherited trauma. With rich symbolism and emotional depth, Lali stands out as a distinctive and significant work of contemporary Pakistani cinema.

Dates:

Friday, October 2nd, 2026 @ 9:00pm
Friday, October 9th, 2026 @ 2:30pm

USE CODE VF26ISFEST5 for $5 off one Adult Ticket!