Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Pakistan’s first and only Oscar winner, is chairing a committee of industry professionals who will be selecting Pakistani films that will be submitted to The Oscars for consideration in the Best Foreign Film category. Here she speaks to Dawn about why it took 50 years for Pakistan to decide to submit a film, her opinion of the local industry and the response the committee has received so far.

In its entire history, Pakistan has only submitted two films for Oscar consideration. Both failed to secure a nomination. Director A.J. Kardar submitted Jago Hua Savera in 1959 and Khawaja Khurshid Anwar submitted Ghunghat in 1963. Since then the industry has submitted nothing. It’s been 50 long years since Pakistan sent its last film to the Oscars for consideration. That is a very long time.

Films have been made in Pakistan during that time; some of the more recent ones did pretty well locally as well as in the international film festival circuit. Why does Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Pakistan’s only Oscar winner (in 2011 for her documentary Saving Face which she co-directed Daniel Junge), think it took this long?

“The onus to form a committee of this nature falls in the hands of the filmmakers and artists of that country, and not the Academy,” responded Chinoy, “While I am unsure of why we failed to submit a film for 50 years, I assume that it is due to our weakening film industry as a whole and a lack of interest on our part. It’s unfortunate that no one thought of forming this committee before but now that we have a competent committee we are anxious to move forward and send in the best entry from Pakistan.”

The committee is currently chaired by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. Other members include author Mohsin Hamid (The Reluctant Fundamentalist), director Mehreen Jabbar (Ramchand Pakistani), filmmaker Akifa Mian (Inaam), a prominent member of the film and TV industry Sameena Peerzada (Inteha), actor Rahat Kazmi and culture academic Framji Minwalla.

How was the committee formed? “We had to submit a list of committee members to the Academy who then vetted and approved our nominations,” informed Chinoy, “The Academy advised us to submit a diverse list of members, from directors and actors to academics and writers. We received approval soon thereafter and are now in the process of soliciting submissions for consideration for the 2014 award cycle.”

Considering that most of the committee members are active in the industry in one capacity or another, in a situation where the committee members have been active in a film project will they continue to judge submissions or are they expected to step down for that particular session? In such a situation, Chinoy informed, “the committee member will be asked to abstain from voting for that year.”

The committee placed its official call for submissions several weeks ago. How has the response been so far? “The response has been very heartening,” she enthused, “We have already had several inquiries and application forms have been emailed out. By forming this committee we have taken the first step, I have no doubt that one day in the near future a Pakistani film will be short listed for the Foreign Language Film award and do us all proud.”

New beginnings, hopes and challenges

“The Pakistani film industry is slowly experiencing resurgence; Pakistanis are going back to the cinema, new theaters are being built, and more students are opting for a career in the arts,” said Chinoy about the changing face of the Pakistani film industry. “Over the past two years, we have seen a significant rise in the number and nature of films being produced locally, from independent art films to our signature Lollywood song and dance thrillers.”

Speaking about the challenges faced by local filmmakers, she said, “We do however continue to struggle in terms of resources; our filmmakers do not have ready access to modern filmmaking equipment. Independent movies or movies with subject matter that diverge from mainstream Lollywood content have little commercial viability and we lack the academic institutions to teach our next generation the art and craft of modern filmmaking.

“Just like any other enterprise, our material is also subject to demand and supply, and thus I hope that an increased demand results in a renewed interest from potential financiers and academic institutions as well. It may take time but I have no doubt that the film industry will prosper if nurtured properly.”

A web edition of a prominent foreign publication claimed that 21 films have been released so far in 2013 in Pakistan. Considering that very few of them actually hit theatres or generated a buzz, in her opinion, does she consider that number accurate and as a truthful depicting of the current state of the cinema industry?

“Personally I do not see it as an accurate depiction of our current state of cinema, but I see it as a positive sign for what the future state of our cinema should be,” Chinoy responded, “As mentioned previously, one of our largest impediments is the lack of funding for film projects. While there are 21 films being released in 2013, I can say with some certainty that most of them will not have the funds for the necessary marketing and publicity needed to fill theatre seats come screening day.

“And this is what is most unfortunate about our industry; we have the talent who are striving to produce quality content but without the requisite industrial support to market their work, they will always face an uphill struggle making their films profitable. We need to encourage cinemas to show Pakistani independent films and encourage distributors to market them.

“That being said, it is encouraging to see the next generation of filmmakers are proactively using social media to create word of mouth buzz for their films, despite YouTube bans and other limitations. I think it’s a very positive sign for our film industry that 21 films are being released this year and I wish their respective creators nothing but the very best in their careers.”