Adil Najam
Canadian newspaper Toronto Star recently named its list of “10 to Watch in 2007.” Ten people living in the Greater Toronto area who the newspaper thinks are “poised to make a splash in 2007.” On that list is a young Pakistani documentary film-maker: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
I am particularly happy to report this news because I have been meaning to write about her work for a while, and this is the perfect reason to. In fact, she is an early friend of ATP and you may have seen her commenting here. But, it is more likely that you have seen her work on such award winning shows as PBS’s Frontline. And if you have not, I am betting you soon will.
Here is what the Toronto Star has to say about it:
In her short career, launched when she was still in university, Obaid-Chinoy has made 10 personal, passionate documentaries and won as many prizes. Now 28 and based in Toronto, she is making two more films in 2007, one on the lives of Afghan women five years after the U.S. invasion, and another on the legacy of Zimbabwe strongman Robert Mugabe.
… Terror’s Children, [a documentary] about Afghan refugees living in her homeland, Pakistan, launched her career in 2002 and immediately won three awards. Her second, a searing look at the rise of fundamentalism in Pakistan, won four more prizes, including the Livingston Award for young journalists under 35. Obaid-Chinoy was the first non-American to receive it. Other winners in the category of international reporting include David Remnick, now editor of The New Yorker, Thomas Friedman of The New York Times and Christiane Amanpour of CNN. Bill Abrams, former president of New York Times Television, says when he first encountered Obaid-Chinoy, then a college student, “I thought, this person could be the next Christiane Amanpour “sophisticated, smart, fearless.”
The list of her work, available on her website, is impressive indeed, and she has taken on some of the most pressing and important social issues to work on in her documentaries. The best exemplar of her work is the documentary ‘On A Razor’s Edge’ about the India-Pakistan peace process, shown on Frontline in 2004. The website about the documentary has an interview with her which shows her as a person of conviction as well as idealism. Both of those are endearing qualities in our world today. The write-up on the documentary, introduces Sharmeen and her work thus:
Spring has arrived in Pakistan, and the season has brought a thaw in the Cold War between Pakistan and India, bitter enemies for more than 50 years. A train is now allowed to cross the border. FRONTLINE/World correspondent Sharmeen Obaid boards this “peace train” in India and travels home to Pakistan to see how people are reacting to the cautious attempts to settle differences between the two countries. Born and raised in Pakistan, Obaid is now a graduate student at Stanford as well as a reporter for New York Times Television who has covered the dramatic political and social changes in Pakistan since 9/11 and the U.S. intervention in neighboring Afghanistan.
On the train Obaid meets a woman who is on her way to a reunion with her children and grandchildren in Pakistan. “I’ve prayed for the day the borders would open,” she tells Obaid. As the train pulls into the city of Lahore, Pakistan, Obaid witnesses the meaning of reconciliation as long-separated families and friends embrace each other. All this is possible because of a historic handshake between Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf and India’s Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who agreed to begin peace talks in January 2004. That night in Lahore, Obaid sees the start of Basant, a festival celebrating the advent of spring. Originally a Hindu holiday, Basant has long been embraced by Pakistan’s Muslim majority. It is a time of kite flying, dancing, even drinking. As she wanders the gaily-lit streets at night, Obaid speaks with Pakistanis who tell her they are hopeful about the possibility of a real peace with India. But there is also a note of caution. “Ask me another time,” an older street vendor tells her. “If this interview is aired, we will both be jailed. This is Pakistan!”
If you are like me you are already hooked and you want to read more about this. You can, here. If you do, you will read about her encounters with Jugnu Mohsin, Ahmed Rashin, Gen. Hamid Gul, Gen. Aslam Beg, and many more in the weeks and months when the A.Q. Khan case was blowing up all over the place.
Better still, you can watch the whole documentary here. Or just do a google and you can watch a lot more of her work. Do so, its worth watching.
Congratulations, Sharmeen. Like the Toronto Star, ATP will also be watching you in 2007 and beyond!
[quote comment=”25855″]I had never heard of Ms Obaid-Chinoy before, but now I would love to see her works. I would also like to name another Pakistani-Canadian here, Zarqa Nawaz, who is the brains behind yet to be aired sitcom on CBC “Little Mosque on the Prairie” and some other independently made films. Extremly glad to see all this creativity and astisanship coming from Pakistanis and receiving accolades.[/quote]
Sometimes it is hard to tell what the reality is. I am not familiar with the works of Ms. Sharmeen that much but I have had the chance to see some of Mrs. Zarqa Nawaz’s. I was in Regina, Saskatchewan from 1995 to 2000 when she started a stir in our community there with her documentaries. Most of her documentaries were a sarcasm against the traditional Islam and they were often shown in the Regina Public Library. I will not be surprised that she portrays the community and masjid of Regina negatively in this upcoming sitcom.
All I know from my experience is that she was supporting a muslim feminist group and creating trouble in our masjid. She even tried to defame our Imam Masjid (whom everyone in the community respects) in one of the magazines.
As a muslim, I feel happy when someone excels in their field and gets recognition, but I do not like when people use religion as a stepping stone to earn the fame.
Thats great! I am looking forward to watch Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy work.
I am much more impressed of the well-written work of Bapsi Sidhwa, another Pakistani talent whom very less Pakistans know, though much of them have for sure watched the Indian movie “Earth 1947”, which is actually based on her novel.
Another Pakistani talent which is very less popular in Pakistan is Sabiha Sumar. Last night I watched her directed movie on Arte-TV (German TV). No doubts that why the movie is award winning. It brilliantly focuses on the political drama with the title as Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters). The story is about how politics influences, gives new self-made and self-favored false interpretation, misuse and exploits religion, how fundamentalists divide the relations and ultimately how society falls victim to the political propaganda.
Adil, I think ATP should also give the credit to both of them and should write something on them, thanks!
Lets not discourage the lady by labelling her as a Western Agent[am I sounding different? ;) ]. Did I mention that I had already read her interview [ on Jazbah website in which she categorized muslims in TWO factions only Seculars[hence moderated] anti-Seculars(Extreemist/Fundamentalist) ] which I personally don’t agree but it doesn’t mean I disqualify her efforts.
I wonder that whether people read her interview on jazbah. She replied:
The clerics were the most obliging, nicest, most hospitable people I met and worked with. Fun people! They made sure that I ate with them, drank tea with them, they told me anything and everything I wanted to know. They didn’t have any pretensions. Sometimes they weren’t too happy that I was challenging them, but they never stopped me from asking questions and always gave me their own opinion.
I am not surprised if she believes in thing thats afghans[or Talibans] don’t consider women human beings but I would give credit her for being honest and respect for this statment. Even Ms.Riddley got shocked after experiencing an “unexpected” behaviour by talibans. Even if she’s a secular then much better than several others[some of them are on this board as well] who just promote their ideology by talking lies and baseless things. After reading that piece by sharmeen, I do hope that she would sure produce something good with facts. She shouldn’t care much for western intrest for financing[though it matters] and promote truth which is obsolete in media world.
Must say I am a little disturbed by a few of the ccomments here. The pettiness and jealousy of some aside, why should it matter whther the funding comes from the ‘West’ or from Saudi Arabia or somewhere else. If we are that concerned then raise the money ourselves.
What really should matter is whether these documentaries are showing the true picture or not. I have just seen one on the internet and I think it is VERY honest. There is nothing anti-Pakistan there at all. Pointing out the flaws of the government or highlighting the duplicity of someone like AQ Khan who sells the nations secrets (isn’t that called treason) is NOT anti-Pakistan; selling national secrets for personal greed is!
There are lots of documentaries being made in Pakistan with Pakistani money that spread sectarian hatred and intolerance; I woudl much rather see documentaries like hers that give the message of peace and human dignity, no matter who funds them. And if someone like PBS funds her documentary that is a mark of her skill and talent, of which we should be proud and not jealous.
Congrats on good work Sharmeen.
On A Razor’s Edge is a very truthful documentary and it made me think about idiotic ceremony at Wagah. There is a controversy in making about Wagah border ceremony. India already toned it down but Pakistan is yet to follow. Earlier Pakistan has refused to tone it down, lets see what will they do now.