British Council organizes Pakistan Stories Film Screening as part of Pakistan/UK: New Perspectives

Islamabad, 24 June 2022: The British Council in collaboration with Patakha Pictures in Pakistan and the Scottish Documentary Institute in the UK organized a film screening event for “Pakistan Stories” at a hotel in Islamabad. Pakistan Stories seeks to support a new generation of female Pakistani documentary filmmakers to enable them to create engaging films that reflect on their society, and Pakistan’s 75 years of independence. 

The event celebrated the journey of the ten selected filmmakers through the programme. The filmmakers worked in pairs over a period of eight weeks and were mentored by experts in Pakistan and Scotland to develop and finance their creative skills so they could produce five short documentaries in a safe environment and reach new local and international audiences through their work. Important themes the documentaries cover include: early child and forced marriages, the rights of transgenders, women and disability, women in education and the feminist movement in Pakistan.

Guests at the event included the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Christian Turner, the Deputy Director of the British Council, Mark Crossey, filmmaker and founder of Patakha Pictures, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the Director of the Scottish Documentary Institute, Noe Mendelle, as well as top diplomats, senior government officials, journalists, leading experts from the arts space, and young aspiring artists and filmmakers.

The British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Christian Turner said:

“Film is a brilliant vehicle for telling stories and giving women voice.  With trailblazers like two-time Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, and by combining the best of UK and Pakistan expertise, we can unleash the potential of the next generation of female filmmakers and women and girls across Pakistan.”

The Deputy Director at the British Council Pakistan, Mark Crossey said:

“The British Council is delighted to have enabled this platform for emerging female Pakistani filmmakers to hone their skills and tell stories about Pakistan as we mark it’s 75th anniversary with our Pakistan/UK: New Perspectives programme of activity. I look forward to these films being showcased across festivals in Pakistan and the UK.”

The founder of Patakha Pictures and leading filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy said:

“In the past week I have witnessed the growth of these ten filmmakers and I know that we are laying the seeds of a movement that will ensure that young women across Pakistan will be empowered to finally to tell their own stories in their own words.”

The Director of Scottish Documentary Institute, Noe Mendelle said:

“Scottish Documentary Institute is very excited to be part of a collaboration with Patakha Pictures and British Council Pakistan, involving nurturing female filmmakers in enhancing their directorial voice in documentary. Working with reality is a humbling experience and female filmmakers are especially well equipped creatively and mentally to engage with emotional, challenging stories that need to be shared with the rest of the world.”

About Pakistan Stories:

Pakistan Stories has been co-designed and delivered by Patakha Pictures in Pakistan (subsidiary of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Films – a leading film producer in Pakistan) and Scottish Documentary Institute (SDI) in the UK. Female documentary filmmakers from all across Pakistan submitted entries to be selected for the programme out of which ten were selected.

The selected filmmakers went through a mixture of seminars, consultant-led advice and mentorship sessions including 18 practical documentary sessions online over eight weeks where they explored documentary creativity for the international film festival market.

The short documentaries will be displayed at various film festivals in Pakistan and the UK.

The names of the selected filmmakers and their documentaries are mentioned below:
No. Names of Filmmakers Project Title

1 Amna Maqbool and Beenish Sarfaraz Sinf-e-Taal
2 Ahmen Khawaja and Mariam Khan My Mother’s Daughter
3 Seema Iqbal and Sehrish Kanwal Ways of Seeing
4 Farzeen Aziz and Bushra Pervaiz Haqeer
5 Fatima Syed and Areeba Naveed A Feminist’s Struggle

About Pakistan/UK New Perspectives:

Marking the 75th anniversary of Pakistan, Pakistan/UK: New Perspectives is taking place from March – August 2022. The programme showcases the cultural wealth and contemporary creativity of both countries; facilitates professional collaboration for culture, creative and education sectors; and focuses on a shared future through building lasting partnerships. It focuses on challenging perceptions, particularly amongst the younger generation in both countries.

An expansive programme explores collaborations across the following themes:

Culture & Heritage: Building innovative partnerships in the arts and cultural sectors of both countries;
Environment and sustainability: Supporting the next generation of artists and creative entrepreneurs in Pakistan and UK to collaborate in tackling today’s environmental challenges;
Women and girls: Providing opportunities for young people in Pakistan and UK, especially young women and girls, to develop skills and in the areas of arts and education addressing global challenges.

About the British Council 

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. In 2019-2020 we reached over 75 million people directly and 758 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive a 14.5 per cent core funding grant from the UK government. www.britishcouncil.org