Overview
- The Punjab Assembly, which took up the Film City Authority Bill on Wednesday, passed it by majority vote after sharp exchanges and procedural objections from opposition benches.
- Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz met Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on Wednesday and agreed to collaborate on planning for the Punjab Film City project.
- Officials pitch the complex as a full production ecosystem with studios, sound stages, VFX and post-production labs, training schools, a convention hall, a media trade hub, and a lake on roughly 50 acres inside Lahore’s Nawaz Sharif IT City.
- Planning is led by Nespak with an international consultant, and the Punjab Central Business District Development Authority will implement it, with options under study that include joint ventures, self-funded phases, real estate investment trusts, and a proposed 10-year tax break to attract investors.
- Opposition lawmakers said the bill raced through without broad consultation and argued funds should prioritize education and health, while ministers said the project would revive a collapsed screen industry and create jobs across film, TV, and digital media.