great news for pakistan she won an oscar for something meaningful highlighting a real problem showing pakistan is not afraid to confront it's problems but also showing it in a positive light the good work being done by the plastic surgeon to help these women first pakistani to win oscar and she's a woman pakistan has celebrated rightfully so.
HOLLYWOOD: Karachi-born Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy fought back tears on Sunday night, as she became the first ever Pakistani to win an Academy Award.
The Pakistani director won her country its first Oscar for “Saving Face”, a 52-minute documentary film about acid attacks on women, and the doctors and social workers who helped restore their faces.
Her body language said it all: with one arm in the air clutching the gold statuette, the Pakistani filmmaker said, “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,” referring to her co-director Daniel Junge, as well as the British-Pakistani plastic surgeon Mohammad Jawad who returned to his homeland to help save the faces of acid-attack victims. Sharmeen also paid a glowing tribute to Rukhsana and Zakia, “our main subjects of the film, whose resilience and bravery in the face of such adversity is admirable.”
“[This is for] all the women in Pakistan who are working for change,” cried Sharmeen. “Don’t give up on your dreams. This is for you.”
Twitter followers in Pakistan erupted with joy at news of the Oscar, lighting up the Twitter sphere with praise and adoration following her win, delighted that Pakistan was making headlines for all the right reasons.
In a message read out by her mother, Obaid-Chinoy said she hoped to screen “Saving Face” at schools, colleges and in communities across the Pakistan “to spread awareness and promote dialogue in the country.”
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was born in 1978 and raised in Karachi. She received a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and went on to complete two masters degrees from Stanford University. — AFP
Agencies add from Islamabad: Following news of her Oscar win, accolades and appreciation began pouring in for Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy from all across Pakistan.
President Asif Ali Zardari, in his congratulatory message, appreciated the filmmaker for highlighting the sensitive topic of acid attacks on women with utmost sensibility and creativity, and applauded Chinoy for bringing laurels to the country by excelling in film-making and sending a strong message to the world about Pakistan’s softer image.
Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, meanwhile, said, “We are proud of Sahrmeen Obaid-Chinoy who won for Pakistan such a prestigious award,” adding that her win has greatly boosted the nation’s international prestige, and that on her return Obaid-Chinoy would be conferred with a high civilian award.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan also extended her felicitation to Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy for earning the distinction for Pakistan.
Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, in his felicitation message, said Sharmeen’s win “is a proof of the fact that the Pakistani nation does not lag behind anyone in any field and, Pakistani women are particularly blessed with creative abilities.”
Former MNA and a social worker Marvi Memon congratulated Pakistani film director Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy for winning the prestigious Academy Award for Pakistan, noting that this was a first in the 84-year history of the Oscars.
Similar messages also poured in from Chairman Senate Farooq H Naek, Deputy Chairman Senate Mir Jan Muhammed Jamali, and leader of the House Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, all of whom lauded the efforts of that Pakistani talent that had earned the highest recognised award in the film world.
Reuters adds from Islamabad: Speaking exclusively to Reuters before her Oscar win, Chinoy said, “The women who decided to be a part of the documentary did so because they wanted to make their voices heard and wanted to bring attention to this form of assault.”
One woman featured in the film is 25-year-old Rukhsana, whose husband threw acid on her, and her sister-in-law doused her in gasoline before her mother-in-law lit a match and set heron fire. Her story was left unfinished in the film.
“I spoke with Rukhsana before I left,” Chinoy said. “She is trying to make enough money to build her own home for herself and her children without her husband. She’s awaiting her final surgery.”
“Saving Face” is set to air on the American cable television network HBO on March 8, while Junge and Chinoy also plan to air the show in Pakistan.
“We’re going to try to find the best possible way to show the film while ensuring that the women in the film are safe,” said Obaid-Chinoy. “It is a story of hope with a powerful message for the Pakistani audience. I felt this would be a great way to show how Pakistanis can help other Pakistanis overcome their problems,” she added.
Chinoy’s films have won the filmmaker international acclaim. Her 2010 documentary, “Pakistan’s Taliban Generation”, won an International Emmy Award.
She said her next project is developing a television series about “people in Pakistan who are doing incredible work and trying to change their communities.” “This win is a testament that Pakistanis can do anything,” she added following her glorious triumph.
Pak film makes history, wins Oscar
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Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy accept the Oscar for the Best Documentary Short Subject for their film 'Saving Face' at the 84th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 26, 2012. PHOTO: REUTERS
Pakistani journalist and documentarian Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s latest venture Saving Face has won an Oscar award under the category ‘Best Documentary, Short Subject’.
In her acceptance speech, Chinoy dedicated the award to “all the heroes working on the ground in Pakistan” including British Pakistani plastic surgeon Dr Mohammad Jawad, main subjects of the documentary and the women of Pakistan.
“All the women in Pakistan working for change, don’t give up on your dreams, this is for you,” she said.
Dedicating the award to main subjects Rukhsana and Zakia, Obaid-Chinoy said that their “resilience and bravery in the face of such adversary is admirable”.
Co-director Daniel Junge said he had the idea for the film after hearing about Jawad, and asked Chinoy to work with him. He has been previously nominated for an both an Oscar and an Emmy.
“To win … and with such a subject – it’s such an honour,” he said.
The documentary Saving Face chronicles the work of Dr Jawad, who performed reconstructive surgery on survivors of acid attacks in Pakistan.
The documentary, which is filmed across Islamabad, Rawalpindi and the small towns of Punjab, was released in the US in November. It is due to release in the UK in March 2012, following which it will be released in Pakistan.
“The women who decided to be a part of the documentary did so because they wanted to make their voices heard and wanted to bring attention to this form of assault,” Chinoy said in an interview conducted before she won the Oscar.
“The main reason that they are in Saving Face is to make their stories heard and have an impact.” Many victims are women attacked by their husbands, and others assaulted for turning down a proposal of marriage. One girl in the documentary describes how she was burned after rejecting the advances of her teacher. She was 13 at the time.
Another woman featured in the film is 25-year-old Rukhsana, whose husband threw acid on her and her sister-in-law doused her in gasoline before her mother-in-law lit a match and set her on fire.
Chinoy said she hopes the cases in her film will resonate for others in Pakistan.
“It is a story of hope with a powerful message for the Pakistani audience. I felt this would be a great way to show how Pakistanis can help other Pakistanis overcome their problems,” she said.
Chinoy’s films have won international acclaim. Her 2010 documentary, Pakistan’s Taliban Generation, won an International Emmy Award.
At the ceremony, Obaid-Chinoy chose to wear female designers, from her clothes and her jewellery.
“I am wearing Bunto Kazmi for the ceremony and will be wearing Sana Safinaz and Saniya Maskatiya for Oscar-related events. My jewellery will be done by Kiran Aman of Kiran Fine Jewellery and Sherezad Rahimtoola of Labels.
I am really excited to showcase local Pakistani talent, and that too all women,” revealed Chinoy.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy