Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
HI Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy | |
---|---|
Chinoy at the World Economic Forum, 2013 | |
Born |
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan | 12 November 1978
Nationality | Pakistani |
Education | Karachi Grammar School |
Alma mater | Stanford University |
Occupation | Filmmaker, journalist |
Years active | 2000–present |
Known for | A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness |
Spouse(s) | Fahd Kamal Chinoy |
Children | 1 |
Parent(s) |
Obaid Sheikh Saba Obaid |
Awards | 2 Academy Awards |
Honours | Hilal-e-Imtiaz |
Website | Official website |
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Urdu: شرمین عبید چنائے; born 12 November 1978) is a Pakistani journalist, filmmaker and activist.[1][2] She is particularly known for her work in films that highlights the inequality with women. She is the recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, six Emmy Awards and one Lux Style Award. In 2012, the Government of Pakistan honoured her with the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the second highest civilian honour of the country, and Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Obaid-Chinoy was born and raised in Karachi, and studied at Karachi Grammar School before moving to the United States for higher education, where she received her bachelor's degree in journalism from Smith College in 2002.[3] She returned to Pakistan and launched her career as a filmmaker with her first film Terror's Children for The New York Times.[4] In 2003 and 2004 she made two award-winning films while a graduate student at Stanford University.[4] Her most notable films includes, the animated adventure 3 Bahadur (2015), the musical journey Song of Lahore (2015) and the two Academy Award-winning films, the documentary Saving Face (2012) and the biographical A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2016).[5] Her visual contributions have earned her numerous awards, including two Academy Awards in the Best Short Subject in 2012 and 2016 and two Emmy Awards in the same category in 2010 and 2011.[6][7]
Obaid-Chinoy has also won six Emmy Awards, including two of which are in the International Emmy Award for Current Affairs Documentary category for the films, the terrorist drama Pakistan's Taliban Generation[8] and the documentary Saving Face (2012)[9] Throughout her career, she has made many records, her Academy Award win for Saving Face made her the first Pakistani to win an Academy Award,[10][11][12] and she is one of only eleven female directors who have ever won an Oscar for a non-fiction film.[13][14][15] She is also the first non-American to win the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.[12] The 2015 animated adventure 3 Bahadur made her the first Pakistani to make a computer-animated feature-length film.[6][16][17] In 2017, Obaid-Chinoy became the first artist to co-chair the World Economic Forum.[18]
Early life and background
Obaid-Chinoy was born on 12 November 1978 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Her father, Sheikh Obaid, was a businessman, who died in 2010, and her mother, Saba Obaid, is a social worker. She has a younger sister, Mahjabeen Obaid. Obaid-Chinoy attended Karachi Grammar School, followed by Convent of Jesus and Mary in Karachi. According to her, she wasn't inclined toward academics though received good grades. Obaid-Chinoy then moved to the United States for higher education. Upon moving, she studied at the Smith College, from where she completed her bachelor's degree in journalism in 2002. After graduating from the Smith College, she enrolled herself at the Stanford University for a double master's degree in International Policy Studies and Communication, which she received in 2004, during this period, she developed a long-lasting passion for filmmaking, and made two award-winning short films simultaneously.[4]
Career
After graduating from Smith College in 2002, she returned to Pakistan,[3] and launched her career as a filmmaker with her first film Terror's Children for The New York Times.[4] In 2003 and 2004 she made two award-winning films while a graduate student at Stanford University.[4] She then began a long association with the PBS TV series Frontline World, where she reported "On a Razor's Edge" in 2004 and went on over the next 5 years to produce many broadcast reports, online videos and written "Dispatches" from Pakistan. Her most notable films include Children of the Taliban, The Lost Generation, Afghanistan Unveiled, 3 Bahadur, Song of Lahore and the Academy Award-winning Saving Face and A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness.[5] Her visual contributions have earned her numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Short Subject Documentary (2012 and 2016) and the Emmy Award in the same category (2010 and 2011) and the One World Media Award for Broadcast Journalist of the Year (2007). Her films have been aired on several international channels, including the PBS, CNN, Discovery Channel, Al Jazeera English and Channel 4.[6][19][20][21][22]
Obaid-Chinoy has also won six Emmy Awards, including two in the International Emmy Award for Current Affairs Documentary category for the films Pakistan's Taliban Generation[8] and Saving Face.[9] Her Academy Award win for Saving Face made her the first Pakistani to win an Academy Award,[10][11][12] and she is one of only 11 female directors who have ever won an Oscar for a non-fiction film.[13][14][15] She is also the first non-American to win the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.[12] The 2015 animated adventure 3 Bahadur made her the first Pakistani to make a computer-animated feature-length film.[6]
In 2007, she helped found the Citizens Archive of Pakistan, whose projects center around the preservation of Pakistan's cultural and social heritage. She also serves as the Ambassador for Blood Safety for Pakistan's national blood safety program.[16] Obaid-Chinoy is a TED Fellow and the recipient of the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the second highest civilian award in Pakistan.[22] Time magazine named Sharmeen in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2012.[1][2]
On 23 March 2012, Pakistan's president conferred the highest civilian award, the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, on Obaid-Chinoy for bringing honor to Pakistan as a filmmaker.[1][2][23][24][25] Sharmeen was ranked 37th on Desiclub.com's list of the 50 Coolest Desis of 2009.[26]
In 2012, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy released the 5-part series Ho Yaqeen (To Believe). In 2014, SOC Films released the 6-part series I Heart Karachi. On April 19, 2015, Song of Lahore,[27] directed and produced by her and Andy Schocken, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival[28] and was the Runner Up to the Tribeca Audience Choice Award.[29] In September 2015, Broad Green Pictures[30] acquired the U.S distribution rights to Song of Lahore announcing the release of the film in select cinemas in the U.S. In October 2015 the film was submitted for consideration in the documentary feature category for the 2016 Oscars by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[31] Song of Lahore European premiere was at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)[32] from 18 to 29 November 2015. The film had its Middle Eastern premiere at the 12th Annual Dubai International Film Festival[33] in December 2015.
On the 20th of May, 2016 Song of Lahore was released in select cinemas across New York City and Los Angeles. The cinematic release was accompanied by the release of the official soundtrack which features collaborations with artists such as Wynton Marsalis and Meryl Streep.
—Obaid-Chinoy while accepting her Oscar for A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness[34]
On May 22, 2015, Pakistan's first animated movie, 3 Bahadur, directed by Obaid-Chinoy, a film dedicated to inculcating bravery in the youth of Pakistan, was released by Waadi Animations. The heroes of the film, Amna, Kamil and Saadi were highly anticipated, and despite being shown on only 50 screens in Pakistan, 3 Bahadur became Pakistan's highest grossing animated movie of all time, earning Rs 6.5 million and defeating the record set by Rio 2.[35] 3 Bahadur also screened at the Montreal Film Festival[36] in Canada, in August 2015.
On September 11, 2015, Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers[37] Obaid-Chinoy's feature documentary, co-directed and produced with Geeta Gandbhir, screened at the Toronto International Film Festival[38][39] 2015 for its North American premiere. The film follows the journey of three Bangladeshi women soldiers who are deployed to Haiti as part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission. The film premiered at the Mumbai Film Festival[40] on 29 October 2015 for its Asian premiere and played at the DOC NYC[41] Festival in November 2015.
On 17 February 2016, the film screened at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City as part of a discussion of women and peacekeeping.[42] The event was moderated by Stefen Feller, UN Police Adviser and was attended by a full house, including United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, Masud Bin Momen. The documentary won the Humanitarian Award at the RiverRun International Film Festival on April 21, 2016 and also won the at the Bentonville Film Festival, dated 7 May 2016.
On 15 February 2016, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy met with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad to discuss the measures required to plug the loopholes in the law which allow the perpetrators of honour killings to walk free.[43] On the 22nd of February 2016, the first screening of A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness was held at the Prime Minister's Secretariat in Islamabad, opened by remarks made by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself - concerning the amendments needed to prevent honour killings from occurring in Pakistan.[44]
On the 28 February 2016, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness won her a second Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subject at the 88th Academy Awards. This is the first Oscar win for her film company SOC Films and the second Oscar for Obaid-Chinoy as Director.[45]
Her latest commercial venture "Sulagta Sitara" is a documentary series which will be released on the ARY Digital in 2016. The series will share the stories of cities in Pakistan which have experienced hardship, but still manage to shine bright through the darkness.
Personal life
In 2007, Obaid-Chinoy married Fahd Kamal Chinoy, a Karachi-based businessman. The couple has a daughter together, Amelia Chinoy. Obaid-Chinoy holds an honorary Canadian citizenship since 2010. In March 2017, she launched a foundation for womens, which creates awareness on mental health in Pakistan.
Filmography
Year | Film | Role | Director | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Terror's Children | Reporter | Yes | Yes | |
2003 | Reinventing the Taliban? | Yes | Yes | ||
2004 | On a Razor's Edge | Yes | Yes | ||
2005 | Women of the Holy Kingdom | Yes | Yes | ||
2005 | Pakistan's Double Game | Yes | |||
2006 | Highway of Tears | Yes | |||
2006 | City of Guilt | Yes | |||
2006 | Cold Comfort | Yes | Yes | ||
2006 | The New Apertheid | Yes | |||
2006 | Assimilation No, Integration Yes | Yes | |||
2007 | Afghanistan Unveiled | Yes | |||
2007 | Birth of a Nation | Yes | |||
2008 | Iraq: The Lost Generation | Yes | |||
2009 | Pakistan's Taliban Generation | Yes | |||
2010 | Transgender: Pakistan's Open Secret | Yes | |||
2012 | Saving Face | Yes | Yes | Academy Award for Best Short Subject Documentary | |
2013 | Humaira: The Dream Catcher | Yes | Yes | ||
2014 | Seeds of Change | Yes | Yes | ||
2014 | Aghaz e Safar | Yes | TV series | ||
2015 | 3 Bahadur | Yes | Yes | ||
2015 | A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness | Yes | Yes | Academy Award for Best Short Subject Documentary | |
2015 | Song of Lahore | Yes | Yes | ||
2016 | 3 Bahadur: The Revenge of Baba Balaam | Yes | Yes |
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | One World Media | Broadcast Journalist of the Year Award | Won | |
2010 | Emmy Awards | Best Documentary | Pakistan's Taliban Generation | Won |
Livingston Award | Young Journalists - Best International Reporting | Won | ||
2012 | Academy Award | Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject | Saving Face | Won |
New York Indian Film Festival | Best Documentary | Won | ||
SAARC Film Awards | Best Documentary Prize | Won | ||
Glamour Awards | The Lifesaver | Won | ||
Government of Pakistan | Contribution to arts Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) | Honorary | ||
Lux Style Awards | Lux Style Achievement Award | Won | ||
2013 | Crystal Award | Outstanding efforts in Promoting Human Rights and Women's Issues through Film | Won | |
Emmy Awards | Best Documentary | Saving Face | Won | |
Outstanding Editing: Documentary and Long Form | ||||
Outstanding Science and Technology Programming | ||||
Outstanding Cinematography Documentary and Long Form | ||||
Outstanding Research | ||||
2016 | Academy Award | Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject | A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness | Won |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Rachel Quigley (2012-03-15). "TIME magazine 100 most influential people 2012 list includes Pippa and Kate Middleton | Mail Online". London: Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
- 1 2 3 Correspondent, Our. "The 2012 TIME 100: Justice Chaudhry, Obaid-Chinoy among Time's 100 influential people, The Express Tribune". Tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
- 1 2 "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy '02". www.smith.edu. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Stanford Magazine - Article". alumni.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
- 1 2 Obaid-Chinoy, Sharmeen. "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy | Speaker | TED.com". www.ted.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
- 1 2 3 4 Dawn 24 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2011
- ↑ "Pakistan's Oscar triumph for acid attack film Saving Face". BBC News. 27 February 2012.
- 1 2 "Glory: Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy bags an Emmy". dawn.com.
- 1 2 Canadian Broadcast Company's Post-Oscar interview with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplayer.html?clipid=2202643558
- 1 2 "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy dreams of Pakistan's first Oscar". BBC News. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- 1 2 Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy wins an Emmy for Pakistan 28 September 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2010
- 1 2 3 4 Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Wins Emmy for "Children of the Taliban" All Things Pakistan. 2 October 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2011
- 1 2 Qureshi, Huma (1 March 2012). "Pakistan's first Oscar-winner should be celebrated for exposing the 'bad bits'". The Guardian. London.
- 1 2 "Pakistan lauds Oscar-winning filmmaker - Yahoo! News Singapore". Sg.news.yahoo.com. 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
- 1 2 "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's documentary bags Oscar nomination - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
- 1 2 "Sharmeen appointed honorary ambassador of blood safety". The Nation. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
- ↑ Jolie, Angelina (2012-04-18). "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy - The World's 100 Most Influential People: 2012 - TIME". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ↑ "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy first-ever artist to co-chair WEF". Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ↑ "Pakistan's Oscar triumph for acid attack film Saving Face". BBC News. Nosheen Abbas. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- ↑ Oscar-winning Pakistani Filmmaker Inspired by Canada http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/02/28/oscar-saving-face-obaid-chinoy.html
- ↑ Clark, Alex (2016-02-14). "The case of Saba Qaiser and the film-maker determined to put an end to 'honour' killings". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
- 1 2 "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy fights to end honour killings with her film A Girl in the River". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
- ↑ Salmaan Taseer, Meera, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy to be decorated with civil awards, The Express Tribune, March 23, 2012
- ↑ "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy makes it to Time's 100 Most Influential People list | Pakistan Today | Latest news | Breaking news | Pakistan News | World news | Business | Sport and Multimedia". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
- ↑ "CJ, Sharmeen on Time list of influential people". Dawn.Com. 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
- ↑ "Leading News Resource of Pakistan". Daily Times. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
- ↑ "Song of Lahore - Trailer & Movie Site - November 13, 2015". Song of Lahore.
- ↑ "http://www.thewrap.com/joyous-tribeca-doc-song-of-lahore-shows-how-pakistani-music-came-back-from-the-dead/". External link in
|title=
(help) - ↑ "The 2015 Tribeca Film Festival Audience Awards Winners Are... - Tribeca". Tribeca.
- ↑ "Broad Green Pictures". broadgreen.com.
- ↑ "http://www.ew.com/article/2015/10/23/oscars-2016-documentary-submissions". External link in
|title=
(help) - ↑ "Song of Lahore - IDFA". idfa.nl.
- ↑ "Dubai International Film Festival - Films 2015 - SONG OF LAHORE". Dubai International Film Festival.
- ↑ "Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy wins second Oscar Award". Daily Pakistan Global. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ↑ "http://www.brandsynario.com/3-bahadur-makes-over-6-5-crore-in-six-weeks/". External link in
|title=
(help) - ↑ http://www.hipinpakistan.com/news/11477242015
- ↑ "Peacekeepers". Peacekeepers.
- ↑ "Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy's new documentary premieres at Toronto Film Festival". The Nation. 11 September 2015.
- ↑ Toronto International Film Festival. "TIFF.net - A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers". TIFF.
- ↑ "JIO MAMI WITH STAR INDIA". mumbaifilmfestival.com.
- ↑ "A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES: PEACEKEEPERS". DOCNYC.
- ↑ "UN Live United Nations Web TV - Opening remarks and Panel discussion following the screening of the Film "A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers"". Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ↑ "PM Nawaz meets Sharmeen Obaid, vows to remove 'stain' of honour killings from Pakistan". The Express Tribune. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ↑ "PM house full: Screening of Sharmeen Chinoy's documentary today". The Express Tribune. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
- ↑ "Oscar Winners 2016: The Complete List". The New York Times. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. |
- Website for Sharmeen Obaid Films
- LUMS 2012 Convocation Address
- Exclusive Interview of Sharmeen Obaid New Production 3 Bahadur with Fashioncentral
- Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy Oscar award
- Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy at Women Make Movies