There are a myriad of challenges that come with shooting a Canadian film in another country, and figuring out the right production insurance was among the top items on the list for the team behind director Zarrar Khan’s feature In Flames (Other Memory Media, CityLights Media).

Speaking at the Playback Film Summit during the Oct. 25 session “In Flames: From Telefilm’s Talent to Watch program to the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes” alongside Khan (pictured) and moderator Shehrezade Mian, producer Anam Abbas said the project’s production insurance budget doubled to ensure they were covered to meet certain requirements as a Telefilm Canada Talent to Watch production shooting in Pakistan.

“That language does not exist for insurance companies [in Pakistan], they’re not used to those packages,” stated Abbas, noting that it was a challenge to “find the right company and educate them on what we need,” leading to some overlapping coverage between packages.

However, the team was able to find other ways to extend the budget. Khan said a hotel chain in Karachi came on board to sponsor the film, giving them free accommodations for the 30-day shoot. “We were shooting in really difficult, challenging locations throughout the film, so to have a space at the end of the day to have a hot shower made a huge difference. It allowed us to really pour ourselves into the film.”

In Flames had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors’ Fortnight section. Khan revealed that the film had been selected for another festival before being confirmed for Directors’ Fortnight, but that the team opted to take a chance on Cannes and pulled out of the other event. “That was not with any added security [that we would be selected for Cannes]… we wanted more, and we had more faith in the project,” he said.

Abbas also noted that, while it wasn’t their experience with Directors’ Fortnight, having a French distributor on board ahead of the festival circuit can be a boon in getting a film on the radar of top-tier festivals such as Cannes.

In discussing the process of setting the film’s festival strategy, Khan said one key piece of advice for an emerging filmmaker is to avoid submitting a film before post-production is completed, as festivals tend to be more open to rough cuts from an established director. “You’re giving yourself the best shot [with a completed film],” he declared.

WATCH THE ENTIRE PANEL CONVERSATION: Available to Playback Film Summit virtual pass holders: log in to the agenda, or register for the event. Sessions are available to view until Dec. 30.