Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the renowned journalist and documentary maker, has become first Pakistani to earn an Oscar nomination with her film ‘Saving face’, which was named in the “Documentary-short film” category.
Obaid, who has documented numerous short films, won an Emmy award, back in 2010, for her documentary, ‘Pakistan Children of the Taliban’.
Commenting about this unique achievement, she observed, “I am speechless. It has reaffirmed my belief. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, if you put quality work out there, it will be appreciated. I hope I can make Pakistan proud by bringing home an Oscar.”
The documentary, ‘Saving Face’ is the story of two women from South Punjab who became victims of acid violence.
“It’s a positive story about Pakistan on two accounts: firstly, it portrays how a Pakistani-British doctor comes to treat them and it also discusses, in great depth, the parliament’s decision to pass a bill on acid violence,” she had commented when her documentary was short-listed for nominations, back in October 2011.
According to the Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Bill, the perpetrators of acid violence will be punished with imprisonment for life, and Obaid-Chinoy has captured that aspect in her latest project.
The documentary accounts the work of an acclaimed Pakistani-origin British plastic surgeon, Dr Muhammad Jawad, as he travels to Pakistan and performs reconstructive surgery on survivors of acid victims.
Acid violence, an extreme form of physical cruelty, is systemically describe in Pakistan; official statistics state that a hundred cases of acid violence are reported annually, though it is anticipated that the real figure is far bigger.
Due to structural inequalities, the women face immense difficulties to access the judicial system in addition to hoary cultural practices.
‘Saving Face’ is shot across twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and the small towns of Punjab. It will be on-aired in the US on March 8, at HBO, while it is due to release in the UK later that month, on selected cinemas, following which it will be released in Pakistan.
She is very brave and chooses stories that touch the heart and turns them into movies that break it. She covered many stories ranging from ranging from child abuse, violence against women, terrorism and natural disasters.
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