The web is filled up with heart warming buzz about Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, the Pakistani woman who won a Oscar recently. Pakistan is a nation accustomed to being the focus of bad news, but now Sharmeen, a filmmaker from Karachi won the country’s first Academy Award, for a documentary about the victims of gruesome acid attacks.
The film “Saving Face” by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy talks about survivors among hundreds of people attacked every year, and focuses on British Pakistani plastic surgeon Mohammad Jawad, who returned to his homeland to help restore their faces and lives.
“Daniel and I want to dedicate this award to all the heroes working on the ground in Pakistan, including Dr Mohammad Jawad who’s here with us today,” said Sharmeen, referring to her co-director Daniel Junge. Jawad was the plastic surgeon “working on rehabilitating all these women” including Rukhsana and Zakia, “our main subjects of the film, whose resilience and bravery in the face of such adversity is admirable”, she added. Sharmeen paid tribute to “all the women in Pakistan who are working for change,” saying: “Don’t give up on your dreams. This is for you.”
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has promised Sharmeen and the nation, that she would receive “a high civil award”. It is very important to know that first of she is a woman, coming from a country which does not appreciate women working even, plus despite all the male directors in the country, she has is the first one to win such an award which is drooled by filmmakers all over the world.
Sharmeen is a professor of Media at Szabist and her team comprises of my fellow friend from A-Levels “Asad Faruqi”. I have personally known that guy since 2002 and I know that when Asad does something, he does it terrifically. Congrats bro.
Sharmeen’s mother Saba said in a statement
“We all supported Sharmeen in her endeavors and she has made Pakistan proud… I have a message for all fellow Pakistanis to support their daughters because our daughters have immense talent to the country.”
Way to go Sharmeen, Asad and Wasif. You make us proud.
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