Filmotor takes global sales rights to Hazara Town ahead of IDFA premiere
Filmotor has acquired the global sales rights to "Hazara Town" ahead of its world premiere at IDFA, Variety reported.
The deal hands the sales company the job of licensing the film to distributors and platforms around the world. It was announced in the run-up to the festival, where the film will launch in competition.
The film is the debut feature documentary by Khadim Dai. It runs 103 minutes and was filmed over six years.
It is an intimate family portrait. IDFA describes it as Dai's film about his two nieces, their mother and their grandparents, listed IDFA as a 2026 film by the director.
The story follows a Hazara family in Pakistan as it decides whether to stay together, twenty years after fleeing Afghanistan, according to IDFA. The title comes from Hazara Town, a neighbourhood in the Pakistani city of Quetta named for its large Hazara population. The shoot lasted six years.
"Hazara Town" will have its world premiere in the International Competition at IDFA. The section is reserved for films with wide appeal that are having their international or world premieres at the festival.
The film will compete for two prizes. It is in line for the IDFA Best Film Award and the IDFA Best First Film Award.
Behind the camera, the film is produced by Ilyas Yourish for Congoo in Belgium. It is co-produced by Dai, by Graeme Isaac for Mayfan Films in Australia, and by Anke Petersen and Lilian Tietjen for Jyoti Film in Germany.
Development support came from several documentary funds. They include the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, the IDFA Bertha Fund Classic, the Asian Cinema Fund and the Flanders Audiovisual Fund, among others.
Filmotor had been watching the project for some time. Petar Mitric at the company tracked it since its pitch at Sunny Side of the Doc in 2023.
What makes this stand out for festival watchers is the pathway. A long production, festival development money and an early sales attachment now meet a competition launch, the point where buyers take their first full look.
