A grassroots animated project tackling child abuse earns recognition at the Berlinale
Pakistan registered a quiet but significant presence at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival as a locally produced animated series confronting child sexual abuse earned international recognition, placing the country among creative voices from more than 120 nations featured at Berlinale Talents 2026.
Out of 3,438 applicants worldwide, 200 filmmakers were selected, with Pakistan represented through ‘Super Sohni’, a school-based project that helps children recognise abuse, assert boundaries and speak up. Produced by SAMAAJ in collaboration with the German Embassy in Islamabad, the series was chosen for the Berlinale Talents Mastercard Enablement Programme running from February 13 to 18.
The Pakistani nod came amid a festival programme dominated by socially charged storytelling. British actor-turned-director Ashley Walters premiered his debut feature ‘Animol’, inspired by his own upbringing and exploring vulnerability, shame and survival inside a young offender institution. Walters, also known for Netflix drama ‘Adolescence’, said the film aimed to humanise troubled boys often dismissed in public discourse.
Political trauma also took centre stage with Iranian filmmaker Mahnaz Mohammadi unveiling ‘Roya’, a fiction feature rooted in her experiences of detention, while Latin America’s literary heritage arrived in Berlin through a new television adaptation of ‘The House of the Spirits’, based on the novel by Isabel Allende.
Elsewhere, Hungarian director Kornel Mundruczo spoke candidly about leaving his home country due to funding constraints, presenting his latest competition entry while highlighting the growing difficulties of financing independent cinema in Europe.
Against this global backdrop, Pakistan’s recognition stood out for its grassroots origins and classroom-first approach. While Berlinale showcased stories of incarceration, migration and generational trauma, ‘Super Sohni’ offered something quieter but no less urgent – proof that locally driven animation, rooted in social reality, can carry Pakistani voices onto one of the world’s most influential film platforms.
(WITH INPUT FROM AGENCIES)
