Azfar Jafri

Azfar Jafri
اظفر جعفری
Jafri at the 2024 WonderCon
Born
Karachi, Pakistan
Occupation(s)Film director, Visual effects specialist, Screenwriter, Actor
Years active2005-present
Notable workJanaan
SpouseAyesha Ali
Websitewww.azfarjfilms.com

Azfar Jafri (Urdu: اظفر جعفری) is a Pakistani film director, screenwriter, actor, and VFX artist. He is best known for his Independent film Siyaah which earned him critical recognition and accolades, including a nomination for the ARY Film Award for Best Director at the 1st ARY Film Awards.[1][2]

Career

Azfar started his career as a 3D Character Animator and eventually became a VFX lead at Trango, where he worked on several television commercials for both local and international clients, including Lexus, Scion, Nike, UPS & Mobilink-BlackBerry.[3]

Azfar's independent short films lead him to his first feature as a director, Siyaah, which was produced by Imran Raza Kazmi and written by Osman Khalid Butt.[4]

He was the head of animation for the 2018 movie Allahyar and the Legend of Markhor, both a critical and commercial success, while also giving his voice for a key character, Hero.[5]

After successful films like Janaan and Parchi, he is currently directing a PAF film Sherdil, set to release in 2019.

Another 2019 release will be Heer Maan Ja, a Punjab-centered romantic flick with action, drama and comedy wthatwill reunite the team wthatproduced his previous hits producer Imran Raza Kazmi, actors Ali Rehman Khan and Hareem Farooq as well as Osman Khalid Butt as choreographer.[6]

Filmography

Year Film Director Screenwriter Actor Role Notes
2005 Isthmus Road No Yes Yes Sameer Debut ; short film
2009 Charkhi Yes Yes No Directorial Debut ; Short film
2010 Khel Yes Yes No Short film
2011 Aik Khat Tumharay Naam Yes No No Short film
2013 Siyaah Yes No No Feature film debut
2016 Janaan Yes No No
2018 Parchi Yes No No
Allahyar and the Legend of Markhor No No Yes Hero (voice) Head of Animation
2019 Sherdil Yes No No
Heer Maan Ja Yes No No
2023 Allahyar and the 100 Flowers of God No No Yes Hero (voice) Animated film
2024 Umro Ayyar - A New Beginning Yes No No Director A fantasy VFX film

Accolades

Ceremony Category Film Result
13th Lux Style Awards[7] Best Film Director Siyaah Nominated
16th Lux Style Awards[8] Jaanan

References

  1. ^ "Siyaah: Far from perfect but a win for Pakistani cinema". Rafay Mehmood. Tribune Pakistan. March 16, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  2. ^ "Movie review". Mohammad Kamran Jawaid. Dawn News. March 21, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  3. ^ "Director's profile on SCO Film Festival". Archived from the original on 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  4. ^ "Azfar Jafri's "Siyaah"". Nida Zaidi. Review it!. February 2, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  5. ^ Omair Alavi (27 January 2018), "Preview: Allahyar And The Legend Of Markhor to set the bar high", DAWN News. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  6. ^ Usman Ghafoor (21 January 2019), "What’s Hareem Farooq’s ‘Heer Man Ja’ all about?", Gulf News. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Nominees announced for 2014 Lux Style Awards" (Press release). August 12, 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Who won big at Lux Style Awards 2018?". 21 February 2018.