Punjab orders Pakistan’s first film royalty law, Lahore Film City to open on December 15

LAHORE — Punjab has taken the step its film industry has demanded for years. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has approved the preparation of Pakistan’s first film royalty law, a decision sealed at the first meeting of the Punjab Film Authority. The draft law will be placed before the authority at its next meeting.

The meeting settled the headline numbers at once. Films made in Punjabi in the province will qualify for a 35 per cent rebate, while Urdu films produced in Punjab will get 20 per cent. The point, officials made clear, is simple enough: a filmmaker should be able to count on a return for the work, and newcomers should not have to gamble everything to enter the industry.

Lahore Film City moves with the same timetable. Preparations for its launch on December 15, 2026 are now final. The complex will house a film and music school, a museum, a trading house, post-production facilities and a studio complex, along with what is described as Pakistan’s largest convention centre. A budget of more than Rs589 million for the 2026-27 financial year has been referred to the finance committee.

The meeting, chaired by Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, went further than the law itself. Old cinemas are to be restored and fitted with solar systems, cinemas will get an online booking system, and filmmakers will get a one-window facility to help them find shooting locations. Young filmmakers are to be trained by international experts in modern techniques.

Aurangzeb said the chief minister wants Punjab to become a global-standard screen tourism destination within five years, with the province’s culture and heritage reaching the world through the camera. In its first phase the authority will recruit 26 staff against 53 sanctioned posts, and six committees are being formed, including the Punjab Film Fund Committee.