Punjab’s first modern film city will be inaugurated on 15 December, as preparations for its launch have been completed, according to a report by ProPakistani. The update came on Sunday during the first meeting of the Punjab Film Authority, chaired by Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb. The meeting approved several key decisions aimed at reviving the local film industry, promoting modern filmmaking, and restoring Lahore’s position as the country’s cinematic hub. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif first announced the 50-acre project in April 2026 as an integrated media production hub to be developed within the Nawaz Sharif IT City in Lahore.
Among the decisions, the authority approved the setting up of a film and music school, a film trading house, a post-production facility, and a studio complex with modern soundstages. It also approved the establishment of what ARY News described as the largest convention centre in Punjab. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz approved the drafting of a royalty law for artists and directed that the proposed legislation be presented at the next meeting of the Film Authority. Aurangzeb said the chief minister aims to turn Punjab into an international hub for screen tourism within five years, adding that the initiative would showcase the province’s culture and heritage on the global stage, and that old cinemas would be restored as part of the effort.
The digital part of the plan is an online one-window system for filmmakers, according to Minute Mirror. The authority decided that filmmakers will be able to identify and select suitable filming locations across Punjab through a centralised digital platform, which is meant to reduce administrative hurdles and make the province more accessible to domestic and international productions. The film city was designed to bring film, television, animation, and digital media production under one roof, and the chief minister had said when announcing it that the project would reduce reliance on foreign services for visual effects (VFX) and post-production. The approved post-production facility and studio complex fit that aim, since they would let producers complete more of the work locally.
When she announced the project in April, Maryam Nawaz said it had been conceived almost two years earlier and developed through consultations with filmmakers, producers, and actors, and that it would create jobs and position Pakistan as a hub for creative excellence. The Punjab information and culture minister said at the time that Rs2 billion had been allocated for the revival of the sector, according to Dawn Images. The film city is part of the 853-acre Nawaz Sharif IT City, which the chief minister inaugurated in May 2024 with plans for a Knowledge City and a Film City alongside technology businesses. The reports on the meeting do not say how much of the film city will be ready on 15 December, how the facilities will be operated, or when the film school and convention centre will open, so those details will need to be confirmed as the inauguration approaches.
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