Team Cake The Film Partners With B4U Motion Pictures For 3 New Films
Cake The Film set its own standards in Pakistani cinema. Not only was it the first ever film to be screened at the prestigious West End in London, the film won millions of hearts in Pakistan and around the world owing to its perfect execution of an absolutely riveting story.
Following the worldwide success of the acclaimed Pakistani-British film, Cake, the UK based production companies behind the film, Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari’s ZAB Films and Asim Abbasi’s Indus Talkies, have entered into a partnership with B4U Motion Pictures to co-produce a slate of films that will target both local and global audiences.
Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, the renowned entrepreneur who helms ZAB Films said, “The overwhelming response to Cake is a testament to the fact that good content always finds its audience. It is our aim to keep raising the bar by giving both Pakistani and international audiences a range of tentpole and content-driven films that are both commercially and critically successful.”
Asim Abbasi, the writer and director for Cake, who also runs Indus Talkies added, “Sayed and I have a unified vision for Pakistani Cinema – positioning our films on the world stage by telling culturally specific stories with a universal resonance, and giving cinemagoers diverse content to choose from. B4U has been a pioneer in bringing Pakistani films to an international audience, making this partnership a natural fit.”
Sunil Shah, Head of Film at B4U Motion Pictures said: “We are always looking to nurture talent and build long-term relationships with producers, and are delighted to be collaborating once again with the creative minds behind Cake with the aim of delivering wholesome entertainment to audiences”.
The new production slate, currently in development, comprises of three feature films across diverse genres including drama, comedy and thriller. The first of these, a coming-of-age story, will be directed by Asim Abbasi and is scheduled to go in pre-production by the year end, to be shot on location in the UK.
Cake won Asim Abbasi the best director award at UK Asian Film Festival screening, ahead of its general worldwide release.
Cake revolves around the story of estranged siblings reuniting in the face of ailing parents, Cake seamlessly combines comedy and pathos and heralds a true coming of age of Pakistani cinema. The film, which opened to unanimously positive reviews, has been praised for its realism, strong ensemble performances and refreshing portrayal of women. Mike McCahill of The Guardian gave the film 4-stars calling it “quietly revolutionary” and Naman Ramachandran of Sight & Sound labelled it a “delectable confection.”
Despite stiff competition from bigger films, Cake has now entered its 8th week at the box office and has grossed approximately $1.4 million globally to date. The film continues to perform well in Pakistan’s urban centres and Dubai, having completed a successful theatrical run in the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and selected Gulf states; and is expected to open in additional international territories in the coming months.
