Why Hun Dan, Pakistan's official Oscar submission, failed to reach the Academy Awards

Hun Dan, Pakistan's first Burushaski language film and official submission for the 98th Academy Awards, could not reach the Oscars due to documentary and administrative shortcomings, preventing the country from fielding any film this year.

The Pakistan Oscar Selection Committee selected the Burushaski-language film as the country’s official entry for the 98th Academy Awards.

Speaking exclusively to Geo Digital, Hun Dan director Karamat Ali said he was informed via email that the film had been declared Pakistan’s official entry. He said the production team subsequently submitted all required documents through the Academy’s official online portal.

According to Ali, the team later received an email from the Academy stating that the documentation was incomplete.

"We immediately re-submitted all the required paperwork," he said, adding that instead of receiving a confirmation email, they were informed that the documents had not been completed within the stipulated timeframe, making the film ineligible as Pakistan’s official submission.

The director further revealed that his team received another email from the Academy, referring to incomplete documents for a different film, Palestine 36, despite Hun Dan being Pakistan’s selected entry.

Ali said that in response, Pakistan Oscar Selection Committee Chairman Muhammad Ali Naqvi (Mo Naqvi) informed the Academy that the email had been sent in error, clarifying that Hun Dan, not Palestine 36, was Pakistan’s chosen film.

He added that Mo Naqvi remained in continuous contact with the Academy team, assured full cooperation, and that the Academy later acknowledged its mistake. Despite this, the issue surrounding Hun Dan's nomination could not be resolved.

The director expressed gratitude to Mo Naqvi for his cooperation and support throughout the process.

When contacted by Geo Digital for comment, Pakistan Oscar Selection Committee Chairman Mo Naqvi did not respond.

Under Academy Awards rules — compiled for 2025, films submitted for consideration must have screened commercially in their home country for at least seven consecutive days between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, and at least 50% of the dialogue must be in a non-English language.

The submission deadline this year was October 1. According to Ali, all required documents for Hun Dan were submitted online before the deadline.

Despite the setback, Ali said he and his team consider the film’s selection as Pakistan’s official entry a success in itself.

Hun Dan is based on a folk tale from Hunza and conveys a message of harmony between nature and human life.