Song of Lahore, a documentary by Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken on the acclaimed Sachal Studios and their journey across the world, has been selected for the World Documentary Feature Competition at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.
The only Pakistani entry from the 12 international documentaries selected for the prize, the film is in contention for the following awards: Best Documentary Feature, Best New Documentary Director and Best Documentary Editing at the acclaimed film festival.
The documentary focuses on the music community of Lahore, which until the late 1970s, was world-renowned for its music and talent. In 2004, Izzat Majeed founded Sachal Studios to create a space for traditional music in a nation that had rejected its musical roots. After convincing a number of master musicians to pick up their instruments again, they quietly released some classical and folk albums, but an experimental album fusing jazz and South Asian instruments brought Sachal Studios into the global spotlight.
The twelve films in 2015’s World Documentary Competition represent the year's achievements in nonfiction storytelling.
The Tribeca Film Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001, following the attacks on the World Trade Center, to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music, and culture.
The 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival will take place from April 15 – 26, 2015 at locations throughout downtown Manhattan.
