Here's what's playing at this year's Gandhara Independent Film Festival in Karachi

The Gandhara Independent Film Festival is returning for its seventh edition from October 2 to 4 at Karachi's National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA). From the expansive official selection of short and documentary films in the competition this year, nine Pakistani short films have been chosen to screen at the actual event as part of a 'special recognition' line up. Permanent Guest by Sana Zahra Jafri Set in Lahore, Permanent Guest revolves around 26-year-old Fatin as she and her family prepare for a neighbourhood wedding. Their plans are disrupted by the unexpected arrival of Shabeer, Fatin's 70-year-old uncle. This creates the film's primary tension as old traumas resurface. We Really Are Pakistan (WRAP) by Saba Karim Khan The story of three restaurant workers in Karachi's Gizri, WRAP is a dive into the city's underground rap scene and how three young men are battling adversity to pursue their passion for music. Khazana by Basir Ahmed ​A short film set in Karachi, Khazana follows a deaf waste collector picking up trash in the city's streets. A shocking discovery in a landfill leads gets him into hot water with a ruthless gangster and a khazana (treasure) that will change his life forever. The After: A Chef's Wish by Umar Riaz​​ The After is the first film about the late Fatima Ali — a Pakistani-American chef who gained a following after her appearance on Top Chef — made with the support and approval of her family. It follows her brother, picking up her mission to bring people together through food and take its joy to underprivileged people. Raat Jaagay by Mahnoor Nawab​ The story of a long night and a lonely young mother, Raat Jaagay follows a girl as her sleeplessness brings her face to face with the fragile space between hope and despair, and the future that awaits beyond it. Attock by Awais Gohar ​Set in Attock, the short is the story of a young boy and his beloved pet pigeon. When his father eats the bird in an attempt to cure his Bell's palsy, the boy is heartbroken and in his misery falls asleep on the roof. When he wakes up, he finds an unexpected gift that turns his sorrow into joy. Blender by Syed Nabil Hasan Rizvi Blender follows an old man living an isolated life in a bustling Karachi household and his blender, which he keeps non-functional to find an excuse to keep going into town to get it 'fixed'. These runs to repair the broken appliance become a way for him to have human connection and a sense of purpose. How to Kill Your Hunger? by Mehroz Amin This short film is the story of a struggling middle-aged man, living off leftover food and despair. He revisits a fancy restaurant from his childhood, hoping to relive happier times, but the night spirals into a haunting ordeal that mirrors his inescapable descent into poverty.​ The Send Off by Amina Imran The Send Off follows Raheela, a girl exiled from her parents' home for marrying against their wishes. She returns years later to visit her ailing father. Having marital troubles, she needs her parents, but the divide between them is difficult to surmount. Tensions ride high between her and her mother, yet Rahila finds vestiges of her presence in her old home despite estrangement. Also screening at NAPA are 19 films from around the world that are also be competing for the short film and documentary prize. Foreign short films playing at the Gandhara Independent Film Festival What We Leave Behind by Jean-Sébastien Hamel, Alexandra Myotte Paradise Heights by Karl Kai, Robert Mentov Legacy of the Sun and Moon by Kiyun Gabriel Sung Candy Bar by Nash Edgerton Nobody Barks by Júlia Coldwell Serra When The Tiger Roars by Lam Can-Zhao Brute by Jérémy Comte The Monster by Diego de Gracia ​The Veil by Gabriel Motta ​Buffalo by Cristian Fidel ​The Mould Mohammad Reza Nourmandipour ​Octopus by George Dogaru The Man Who Stumbled By His Words by Mubarak Ali Al-Zawba My Plastic Mother by Amar Haikal ​Petticoats by Gaëlle Graton ​Jazz Infernal by Will Niava ​Under The Whether by Putri Sarah Amelia ​Who Love The Sun by Arshia Shakiba ​Finir au Soleil by Ephrem Koering Like last year, the festival is running on a hybrid model and there are 60 more title being streamed online on the ARY Plus app. These will be available to audiences from September 18 to 30. The online line-up includes seven indie feature films, 25 foreign language indie short films and 28 indie short — fiction and documentary — films from Pakistan. Results of the festival's competition will be announced at the event's closing ceremony on Oct 4 at NAPA.