Pakistani actress Sanam Saeed said artists from Pakistan must establish a cultural identity that exists beyond the generic South Asian label.
This push for a distinct national identity comes as the global film industry increasingly groups diverse regional cultures into broad categories. By advocating for a specific Pakistani identity, Saeed seeks to ensure that the unique artistic contributions of her home country are recognized on their own terms, rather than subsumed into a larger regional collective.
Saeed is set to represent Pakistan at the Cannes Film Festival in France [1]. Reports indicated her participation was scheduled for May 16, 2026 [1]. The festival serves as a primary global stage for cinema, where the labels applied to artists often influence how their work is categorized and perceived by international critics and distributors.
Saeed said that Pakistani artists need an identity that separates them from the broader South Asian categorization [2]. This distinction is central to her presence at the festival, where she aims to highlight the specific cultural nuances of Pakistani art and cinema.
While the South Asian label provides a broad umbrella for representation, Saeed suggests it can erase the specificities of individual nations. The move to emphasize a Pakistani identity reflects a growing trend among artists from the region to assert national sovereignty in their creative branding, a shift that could impact how future Pakistani productions are marketed globally.
Her appearance in Cannes occurs during a period of increasing international interest in non-Western cinema. By challenging the generic labeling of artists, Saeed is positioning the Pakistani creative industry as a standalone entity with its own history and aesthetic values [2].
“Pakistani artists need an identity beyond the generic 'South Asian' label”
Saeed's critique of the 'South Asian' label highlights a tension between visibility and specificity. While broad regional labels can help artists enter Western markets by grouping them into recognizable categories, they often strip away national context. Her advocacy suggests that for Pakistani cinema to grow as a global brand, it must move away from being a subset of a regional identity and instead establish its own distinct cultural footprint.
