Pakistan International Screen Awards
The Pakistan International Screen Awards (PISA) are Pakistan-focused entertainment awards recognising work in film, television, music, fashion and digital content. The awards were founded by Faisal Khan of Mesmerise Events and have been held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[1]
| Pakistan International Screen Awards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded for | Achievements in Pakistani film, television, music, fashion and digital content |
| Location | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Country | Pakistan |
| First award | 2020 |
| Final award | 2021 |
The first ceremony was held in 2020 at the Coca-Cola Arena. A second ceremony followed in 2021. A third edition was announced for 2025 after a four-year hiatus, but was postponed shortly before the scheduled event.[2][3]
History
editInaugural ceremony
editIn November 2019, organisers announced that the first Pakistan International Screen Awards would be held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on 7 February 2020.[4][5] Nominations were announced in December 2019 and included categories for television, film, music, fashion and social media personalities.[6]
At the 2020 ceremony, Meray Paas Tum Ho won several television awards, including Best TV Play, Best TV Actor for Humayun Saeed, and Best TV Actress for Ayeza Khan. Superstar won Best Picture, while Asim Raza won Best Director for Parey Hut Love.[7]
The inaugural ceremony was criticised by several nominees over travel and attendance arrangements. Nabeel Zafar said his name had been used in promotion but that travel arrangements were not made for him, while other actors also criticised the organisers.[8] Body Beat PR chief Hasan Rizvi later apologised for the mismanagement faced by some nominees.[9]
Second ceremony
editThe second ceremony was held on 5 November 2021 at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai.[1] The nominations covered 24 categories across television, music, fashion and digital content. Film categories were not included because Pakistani cinema had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and theatre closures.[10][11]
The 2021 edition introduced jury categories alongside awards decided by online voting.[10] Pyar Ke Sadqay won Best TV Serial, Best Director for Farooq Rind and Best Writer for Zanjabeel Asim Shah. Other winners included Feroze Khan, Sarah Khan, Mohib Mirza, Sonya Hussyn, Asim Azhar, Aima Baig, Khaadi, Romaisa Khan and Ducky Bhai.[12]
The second ceremony also received criticism after some nominees reportedly had tickets cancelled shortly before the event.[13] In January 2022, actor Ali Abbas said he had been told that he had won Best Supporting Actor before the award was given to Ahmed Ali Butt at the ceremony.[14]
Planned third ceremony
editIn October 2025, nominations were announced for the third edition of PISA, which was scheduled for 22 November 2025 at Dubai's Festival Arena after a four-year hiatus. The nominations covered 22 of 24 categories across film, television, music, fashion and digital content. The announced jury included Hassan Choudary, Taimoor Salahuddin, Kamran Jawaid, Maliha Rehman and Sabah Bano Malik, with Aamna Isani as jury manager.[2][15]
On 20 November 2025, the organisers postponed the ceremony, citing visa processing delays affecting nominees, performers and other participants. A new date was expected to be announced later.[3]
Ceremonies
edit| Year | Ceremony | Date | Venue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1st Pakistan International Screen Awards | 7 February 2020 | Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai | First ceremony; awards included film, television, music, fashion and social media categories. | [4][7] |
| 2021 | 2nd Pakistan International Screen Awards | 5 November 2021 | Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai | Film categories were not included because of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Pakistani cinema. | [1][10] |
| 2025 | 3rd Pakistan International Screen Awards | — | Festival Arena, Dubai | Postponed before the scheduled ceremony because of visa processing delays. | [2][3] |
Award categories
editPISA has presented or announced awards in five broad fields: film, television, music, fashion and digital content. The 2021 ceremony excluded film categories because of the disruption to cinema releases during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the planned 2025 edition restored film categories and added digital creator categories such as TikToker of the Year, short-form video creator and long-form video creator.[10][2]
Selected winners
edit| Category | 2020 winner[7] | 2021 winner[12] |
|---|---|---|
| Best film / picture | Superstar | Not awarded |
| Best film director | Asim Raza – Parey Hut Love | Not awarded |
| Best film actor | Sheheryar Munawar – Parey Hut Love | Not awarded |
| Best film actress | Mahira Khan – Superstar | Not awarded |
| Best television play / serial | Meray Paas Tum Ho | Pyar Ke Sadqay |
| Best television director | Nadeem Baig – Meray Paas Tum Ho | Farooq Rind – Pyar Ke Sadqay |
| Best television writer | Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar – Meray Paas Tum Ho | Zanjabeel Asim Shah – Pyar Ke Sadqay |
| Best television actor | Humayun Saeed – Meray Paas Tum Ho | Feroze Khan – Ishqiya |
| Best television actress | Ayeza Khan – Meray Paas Tum Ho | Sarah Khan – Sabaat |
| Critics / jury television actor | Adnan Siddiqui – Meray Paas Tum Ho | Mohib Mirza – Dushman-e-Jaan |
| Critics / jury television actress | Sana Javed – Ruswai | Sonya Hussyn – Saraab |
| Song of the Year | "Baari" – Bilal Saeed and Momina Mustehsan | "Uchiyaan Dewaraan (Baari 2)" – Bilal Saeed and Momina Mustehsan |
| Fashion model | Sadaf Kanwal | Fahmeen Ansari |
| Designer / brand | Hassan Sheheryar Yasin | Khaadi |
| YouTuber of the Year | Ducky Bhai | Ducky Bhai |
Criticism
editPISA has been criticised for organisational problems at its first two ceremonies. Before the 2020 ceremony, several nominees said they had been invited or promoted in connection with the event but were not provided travel arrangements to attend the ceremony in Dubai.[8] Similar criticism followed the 2021 ceremony after some nominees reportedly had tickets cancelled shortly before the event.[13] Abbas later questioned the credibility of the awards after saying he had been told he had won a supporting actor award that was ultimately presented to Butt.[14]
References
edit- 1 2 3 "Pakistan International Screen Awards will be 'unforgettable' show". Khaleej Times. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Images Staff (15 October 2025). "The nominees have been announced for the third edition of the PISAs". Images. Dawn. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 Images Staff (20 November 2025). "This year's PISAs have been postponed". Images. Dawn. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 Ghafoor, Usman (25 November 2019). "Dubai to host first Pakistan International Screen Awards". Gulf News. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ Images Staff (2 December 2019). "Dubai is set to host its first ever Pakistan International Screen Awards". Images. Dawn. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ Images Staff (24 December 2019). "Nominations for the first ever Pakistan International Screen Awards are out". Images. Dawn. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 Saleem, Sadiq (9 February 2020). "'Mere Paas Tum Ho' sweeps PISA in Dubai; Suhail Galadari hands over awards". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 Ahmad, Ather (7 February 2020). "Celebrities, nominees slam PISA 2020 for mismanagement". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ "PISA 2021 to take place in Dubai in November". The Express Tribune. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "PISA 2021 announces nominations in 24 categories". The Express Tribune. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ Images Staff (7 September 2021). "PISA announces nominations with special awards for TikTok stars, Instagram celebrities". Images. Dawn. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 Images Staff (6 November 2021). "The winners of the PISA Awards 2021 are here". Images. Dawn. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 "PISA 2021 winners: 'Pyar Ke Sadqay', Sonya Hussyn bag awards". The Express Tribune. 7 November 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Ali Abbas talks about Ahmed Ali Butt 'winning former's PISA award'". The Express Tribune. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ "Pakistan International Screen Awards (PISA) announce nominations for third edition in Dubai". The Express Tribune. 16 October 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2026.