KARACHI:
Pakistanis got their first glimpse of the most celebrated accolade in filmmaking on Saturday.
The much-awaited Oscar finally arrived in Pakistan along with its proud recipient Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
Her documentary, Saving Face, grabbed the trophy for ‘Best Short Documentary’ at the 84th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California last month.
A press conference was organised at a local hotel to welcome the Oscar winner.
Obaid-Chinoy walked into the premises with the statuette in her hand, and was swamped by photographers as she placed it in a glass box on stage.
“I hope that it is not the only time we bring an Oscar home” said a jubilant Obaid-Chinoy.
“When I walked the red carpet along with four other people, it was not just the five of us; I knew that the whole country was standing for us,” she said. As the categories were being announced, Obaid-Chinoy said she was not very hopeful until Iran won an award as well.
“That was the moment when I got a little optimistic that we might win the award based on the quality of the film,” she recalled.
She also praised co-director Daniel Junge for his efforts, saying that she was thankful to him for letting her give a major part of the victory speech.
After receiving the award, she said she took what is called the ‘winner’s walk’, where award recipients enter a room full of journalists and photographers waiting to greet them.
“All I remember from the winner’s walk are flashes of lights and nothing else,” she said.
“A lot of well-known people from Hollywood lauded me for making it so real and Cameron Diaz was one of them,” she added. A clip from the documentary was screened at the reception where Marvi Memon, former member of the National Assembly, was shown hearing the plea of the acid burn victims.
Afterwards, she initiated a bill in the National Assembly in favour of the acid burn victims, which was unanimously accepted by the assembly.
“The part in which the bill is unanimously passed received a special applause wherever it was screened around the world,” said Obaid-Chinoy.
Elaborating over the subject matter of the documentary further, she said that “Pakistan can solve its problems and that was the thought behind the documentary.
“Acid throwing is a horrible crime, which can be ended if the people and government work together and implement the laws that were created,” Obaid-Chinoy stressed. She concluded by thanking the media, the people of Pakistan, her crew and family members for supporting her throughout.
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