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Meet Shahnawaz Zali, the Pakistani filmmaker nominated for a Student Oscar

Meet Shahnawaz Zali, the Pakistani filmmaker nominated for a Student Oscar

With an $8,000 grant from his university, Zali turned his idea into reality with his documentary about suicide bombings
04 Aug, 2016

The ultimate goal, the pinnacle of success for most filmmakers is scooping up an Oscar.

Aspiring Pakistani director and cinematographer Shahnawaz Zali seems to be getting a headstart on that; Zali's documentary 100 Steps - Sou Qadam has been nominated for the Best Film (in the narrative category) for the 43rd Student Academy Awards.

An Oscar winner herself, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy took to Twitter to share the good news and congratulate Shahnawaz.

Sou Qadam, made in 2015, chronicles the life of a young boy who gets dragged into the world of suicide bombings.

Talking to Images, the budding filmmaker reveals, "As a story-teller I wanted to create a film, which was a psychological thriller that ultimately helps defeat the stereotypical role of Pakistani’s portrayed in the media all over the globe."

"My university gave me an $8,000 grand to turn my idea into reality. With a group of friends, we set up a crew and began filming."

"I chose this subject because these things exist and it's happening all around us. I believe that for a nation to progress, we must first acknowledge and accept the fact that there is a problem. Once the problem is identified, we can then all work toward solving it."

A still from Sau Qadam
A still from Sau Qadam

The Northwestern University (Qatar campus) graduate, Shahnawaz adds, "It's a film about innocence and bravery, hopelessly entwined in the protagonist, who is brainwashed into doing things he didn't want to do. The goal was to correct the misconception of how the world views Pakistan and its people. We’re a valiant nation, with a lot of stories, and this is just a small one."

So what's next in the pipeline for him?

"Personalities such as Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Bilal Lashari, Shaan, Humayun Saeed, Jami, Nasir Khan have built and nurtured this amazing platform for us and I want to work towards contributing to it; I'm aiming to work on feature films, commercials and television next."

"I also plan on opening a production house soon that will always have its doors open to anyone who wishes to discuss ideas, scripts or their work."

Shahnawaz at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival 2014
Shahnawaz at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival 2014

"I want to remove this barrier that limits young Pakistanis to create high-quality production. I have personally met with a lot of aspiring Pakistani filmmakers in the last few weeks and I plan on meeting more as I want to create this culture here where everyone can just walk in and share their ideas and be a part of our team. I would welcome anyone who wants to create content to join me and work toward taking Pakistan forward with its stories," divulges the hopeful 23-year-old.

Comments

ashar Aug 04, 2016 01:54pm
Great News. This is the nation of filmmakers, singers, actors and all kind of media persons.
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Madhusudan Aug 04, 2016 02:06pm
He should come to bollywood and make film here.
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Saad(DXB) Aug 04, 2016 02:48pm
@Madhusudan No thanks. We have no intention of watching women barely wearing any clothes and dancing to every event other than the death. Your bollywood movies are a joke which has put the entire Indian nation live in a state of an alternate reality which doesn't actually exist.
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irteza ahmed Aug 04, 2016 02:58pm
i want to share my script to you..? how can i do it..?
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Zak Aug 04, 2016 11:28pm
@Madhusudan he wants to raise level to international standard not regional. We Pakistanis aim for the best of the best.
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Zak Aug 04, 2016 11:30pm
" We’re a valiant nation, with a lot of stories, and this is just a small one." He has understood Pakistan and represents Naya pakistan.
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Akil Akhtar Aug 05, 2016 10:10am
Do our producers have anything else to represent our country than violence and terrorism.....do accept that these subjects have a big audience in the west these days.....
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Mahi Parveen Aug 06, 2016 09:55am
Congratulations !!
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