1st ARY Film Awards

Winners are listed first and indicated with a double-dagger .[10][11][12]

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan received the Best Male Playback Singer Award for Zinda Bhaag.

The ARY Group presented Special Awards during the ceremony, that usually are not a part of specific category, but, a special honor for artists related to cinema.

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Nadeem Baig

International Icon of the Year

• Ali Zafar

Special Contribution to Pakistani Cinema

• Shaan Shahid

Special Contributing to film industry via theaters

• Asif Razaq – Capri Cinema
• Jamil Baig – Nueplex Cinemas
• Nadeem H. Mandviwalla - Atrium Cinemas
• Hashim Raza – Cinepax
• Hammad Chaudhry – Cinestar

1st ARY Film Awards were broadcast by ceremony presenter ARY Digital Network and Entertainment Channel's ARY Digital. Ceremony was held live on April 27 while airs on May 24 after completion of editing and censorship process of Pakistan.

As of 1st Ceremony fourteen categories were set open for online public voting's in viewers choice categories, from April 9 to April 25. All the categories were made by AFA's Jury members and AFA's membership as a whole, but Viewers Choice portion were voted by public and winners were declared according to highest votes gain by relevant winner. Online voting system proves enormous beneficial in selecting winners by holding fairness among nominees, around ten million online voters votes for their actors and artists across the globe, and a special thank were given at the end of ceremony.

Cinema and Film making in Pakistan makes an enormous hit comeback in the year 2013,[14] with the name like Revisiting the death and Revival of Pakistani Cinema and phrases like New-wave, rebirth and revival become the tagline of every event that held in Pakistani Film Industry.[15] Release of around seven Pakistani films throughout the country gave a much-needed push to aspiring local film-makers, it also produced a hyper-sentimental wave about the rise of Pakistan cinema, which masked the realities on the ground. The current year holds more promise for Pakistani cinema as more than two dozen productions are reportedly on the floor.[16][17]

ARY Digital Network and Entertainment Channel joins hand with many film ventures and give birth to the new subsidiary to entire Group ARY Films, which mark the new milestone in Pakistani cinema foundation. ARY Films release thirty five films including 11 Urdu, 6 Punjabi and 17 Pashto films. Among them Waar, Main Hoon Shahid Afridi, Josh, Chambaili, Zinda Bhaag, Siyaah and Lamha tops the charts in industry and collects splendid box office performances on domestically and internationally.[18] To celebrate the success of Pakistani cinema, ARY Films inaugurated First Film Awarding Ceremony after the demolishing of Nigar Awards, with the motto of "Celebrating the New Face of Cinema" to honor the films from all over the Pakistan, actors and technical achievements.[19][20]

At the time of the nominations announcement on April 9, 2014, the combined gross of the five Best Film nominees at the Pakistani box office was Rs 327.4 million, with an average of Rs 65.48 million per film. When nominations were revealed, Waar was the highest-grossing film among the Best Film nominees with Rs 230 million in domestic box office receipt.[21] Main Hoon Shahid Afridi was the second highest-grossing film with Rs 55 million;[22] this was followed by Chambaili and Zinda Bhaag tied with (Rs 20 million),[23][24] and finally, Ishq Khuda (Rs 2.4 million).

Out of top-grossing movies of the year, all nominations went to 8 films. Only Waar, Main Hoon Shahid Afridi, Chambaili, Ishq Khuda and Zinda Bhaag were nominated for Best Film Jury, Best Film Viewers, or any of directing, acting or screenwriting awards. Other top box office hits that earned nominations were Josh, Lamha and Siyaah. Among best film nominees Zinda Bhaag was the film who achieve the success ride of critical reception which made its way to Oscars, the film was selected as the Official Pakistani entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, the second film after 1950 Aina to achieve that feet in 50 years,[25] but was out of the race in final five nominations for category.[26]

During the ceremony many upcoming Pakistani films were released through their trailers, press release or official announcement. Shaan Shahid released the first look of his upcoming film Arth 2, a joint venture of ARY Films and Riaz Shahid Films,[27] this film is the remake of bollywood most controversial film Arth by Mahesh Bhatt.[28] The second film which was screened was Kambakht a comedy-thriller starring Hamza Ali Abbasi.,[29] this was followed by first Pakistani art-film Mah-e-Meer starring Fahad Mustafa as Mir Taqi Mir.[30] and Yasir Jaswal's Jalaibee was also screened where film's star cast promoted the film.[31] Another one of the most awaited movie by mother-son Zeba Bakhtiar and Azaan Sami Khan's O21 (formally known as The Extortionist[32]) directed by Summer Nicks was revealed.[33]

Chairman of ARY Group Salman Iqbal and Oscar-winner filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy revealed the first look of Pakistani first ever computer animated feature film 3 Bahadur,[34] based on the story of 3 extraordinary children's with the enthusiasm of removing hate and evil from Pakistan. 3 Bahadur or 3B is a joint venture of ARY Films and SOB Films,[35] and film is all set to release in summer 2015.[36]

As of 1st Ceremony, this portion contains only Four Categories which were also included in Viewers Choice, in order to put forth justice, Jury themselves awarded Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Actor. For Jury Choice Categories no nominations were made, all categories contains solo win.

Popular or Viewers Choice awards were the main and highlight of show, total of 14 categories were announced with multiple nominations on April 9, for public voting's till April 25 on awards official website. Viewers Choice portion were voted by millions of viewers around the globe, at the ceremony special thank were given to voters from Canada, UK, America and Pakistan.

Technical Awards were also completely based on Jury Decision, total of 11 categories were made and announced on April 25 at awards website, all the categories were contains solo nominations and solo win. Technical awards were the first set of awards presented first at ceremony.