The universe of film and cinema serves as an inscription of the society it reels in. The silver screen represents one of the most creative ways for conveying human imagination, social values, and political evolutions.
After an initial flying start and subsequent stagnation, the ongoing revival of the film industry could offer more than mere entertainment and artistic content. Joseph Nye, an American political scientist, describes soft power as the capacity to get what you want through forces of attraction. There are three ways to achieve such an effect, namely via the development of an active foreign policy, economic inducements, and cultural exchanges. Nye stressed that culture is the most powerful medium among all three. Therefore, as cinema is an integral part of a society’s culture, it comes with the power to influence the mindsets of individuals through storytelling. If Pakistan’s leadership fully engage and support the movie industry, the latter could play a leading role in the country’s soft power and contribute to the shaping of the nation’s global image and public diplomacy.
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