PAKISTAN: The Death of Lollywood

As India's Bollywood relishes in the reflected glory of Danny Boyel's 10-time Oscar-nominated "Slumdog Millionaire", across the border Pakistan's movie industry, Lollywood, struggles to save itself from skid-row.

Prior to the Mumbai attacks, thawing tensions between Pakistan and India lead to the easing of a 43-year-old ban on screening Indian films, hammering the final nail in the industry's coffin, as audiences opt for their neighbour's silver-screen theatrics rather...
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As India's Bollywood relishes in the reflected glory of Danny Boyel's 10-time Oscar-nominated "Slumdog Millionaire", across the border Pakistan's movie industry, Lollywood, struggles to save itself from skid-row.

Prior to the Mumbai attacks, thawing tensions between Pakistan and India lead to the easing of a 43-year-old ban on screening Indian films, hammering the final nail in the industry's coffin, as audiences opt for their neighbour's silver-screen theatrics rather than homegrown productions.

Two decades ago 11 studios located in Pakistan's most vibrant and colourful city, Lahore, averaged more than 120 films per year as cinemagoers filled the more than 1700 theatres across the country. Today, the sole remaining studio struggles to produce 30 films for less than 200 decaying theatres.
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