Pakistan’s first Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy recently talked about winning the Oscar, meeting Angelina Jolie at the Academy backstage and about directing a feature film: Apart from getting Pakistan its first Oscar for ‘Saving Face’, an Emmy award for ‘Taliban Generation’, Sharmeen is also the first non-American to win the prestigious Livingston Award for Young Journalists. She says it feels great to be representing Pakistan as a woman on such prestigious stages. “I am proud and grateful to be the first Pakistani woman to have achieved such accomplishments, and l look forward to watching other Pakistani women achieve bigger and brighter goals in the very near future.”
When asked about choosing a subject like the work of Dr Mohammad Jawad, she said: “My co-director, Daniel Junge, conceived the idea behind ‘Saving Face’. He had heard Dr Jawad, the Pakistani British plastic surgeon featured in ‘Saving Face’, on the radio and contacted him in regards to his work in Pakistan. Daniel got in touch with me in regards to partnering with him for the film when it was in preproduction, and I was immediately attracted to the subject matter.” Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie congratulated Obaid-Chinoy and got a copy of ‘SF’ after she won the Oscar. Angelina spoke to the filmmaker about her frequent travels to Pakistan and her experiences in the country.
She said that she had fond memories from her trips and was glad that Sharmeen had addressed the issue of acid violence. She says the Oscar win has reinforced her intent to present stories that highlight narratives that are not present in the mainstream media: “My content and the topics I choose will continue to centre around civil and human rights. It’s possible to present a positive image of Pakistan whilst still maintaining ones journalistic ethics, and ‘SF’ intends to do exactly that. Sharmeen says ‘Saving Face’ is an exploration of the way regular life alters when faced with irregular circumstances: “Above all, it is a celebration of acid survivors and their journeys of seeking justice. I feel that the narrative will shatter stereotypes about Pakistan, not reinforce them. I would love to take “SF” to other countries that are faced with acid violence so that we can initiate an international conversation around this issue and collaborate in our efforts.” When asked about her plans for the future she said: “I would absolutely love to direct a feature film, hopefully sometime soon.”
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy interested in making feature film
