BARRIER directed by MAQBOOL AHMAD DURRANI

The film Barrier revolves around the lives of people in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's Baluchistan province. Over the years, the city has been severely impacted by terrorism. The main character is an eleven-year-old boy from the Shia Hazara community, a community that has been victims of genocide and is confined to living behind barricades. Barrier is an adventure thriller based on real events.

Many crew members involved in the film are from Baluchistan, including the writer, director, and producer. Apart from the main cast, all other actors are ordinary locals who were selected to perform in individual scenes, as Quetta lacks a formal film or media industry to provide extras.

The film team faced significant difficulties during production. Extremists made videos against us on social media, accusing us of wanting to "corrupt their girls." We even received indirect threats. At times, government officials were uncooperative, and we were stopped from filming on several occasions. There were times we had to hide our equipment to get to a location for shooting. Ultimately, we were only able to complete the film with the help of a few progressive and educated locals.

We want to make films from Baluchistan. We want to promote the talent of Baluchistan and share stories from our part of the world. Our goal is to build a platform where local people from Baluchistan get a chance. Barrier is just the beginning.