What the chief minister ordered
In fresh Maryam Nawaz news out of Lahore, the Punjab chief minister has instructed her government to prepare a film royalty statute—the first of its kind anywhere in Pakistan—so that creators can earn from their work and the provincial screen sector can grow on firmer legal ground. Officials say the draft should go to the Punjab Film Authority when that body next sits.
The royalty push sits inside a wider package meant to lift production volumes, upgrade working spaces, and open more doors for people who make films. Maryam Nawaz news on the same file also flags cash-back style support for shoots based in the province.
Rebates and a single online desk
Under the package described by the provincial government, features in Punjabi would qualify for a 35% rebate, while Urdu features made inside Punjab would qualify for a 20% rebate. Separately, planners want one digital counter where crews can clear location requests instead of chasing several offices—an attempt to cut delay and paperwork for shoots across the province.
Lahore Film City and other industry steps
Lahore Film City is marked for a formal opening on 15 December 2026. The site is sketched as a mix of teaching and production: a school for film and music, a museum, a trading house, post-production rooms, and a studio cluster with contemporary stages, plus what planners call the country’s biggest convention venue.
More than Rs589 million has been set aside for that project in the 2026–27 year, and the allocation has been sent to the finance committee that handles such spending. Parallel ideas include bringing old picture houses back into use, fitting solar systems, and letting audiences book seats online. The province also wants young workers trained with help from specialists from abroad so they can pick up craft skills used in film and entertainment.
Five-year screen tourism aim
Taken together, these Maryam Nawaz initiatives point toward turning Punjab into a place where crews want to shoot and visitors want to see screen landmarks, while the local industry closes the gap with global practice across roughly five years. How fast the royalty draft becomes law, and how the rebates and Film City timeline hold, will depend on the Authority’s next sitting and the finance committee’s clearance of the Film City outlay.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab ki CM ne kaha hai ke Pakistan ka pehla film royalty qanoon tayyar kiya jaye. Is se filmmakers ko unke kaam ka haq milne ka rasta khulega. Punjabi filmon par 35% aur Punjab mein bani Urdu filmon par 20% rebate ka plan hai. Lahore Film City 15 December 2026 ko khulne wali hai, jis se naujawanon ke liye training aur shoot ke mauqe badhne ki umeed hai.
