Pakistani film Moklani: The Last Mohanas has won the country’s first-ever award at the Jackson Wild Media Awards, according to a press release from production company Jawad Sharif Films.

Formed in 1991 as the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, the Jackson Wild Media Awards recognise achievements in wildlife filmmaking. According to the group’s website, it works to “maximise the impact of storytelling that highlights our urgent and collective responsibility to protect and restore our planet”.

According to the press release, the film — directed and produced by award-winning filmmaker Jawad Sharif — was chosen from a pool of over 500 entries and declared the winner in the Global Voices Category at the Awards Gala in Jackson, Wyoming, on October 2.

“Over 200 international judges screened more than 1,000 hours of media before selecting the film as [the] winner in the Global Voices Category,” the press release read.

“The film tells the story of the Mohanas of Manchar Lake, an indigenous fisherfolk community whose centuries-old way of life is disappearing,” the press release read. “Mohanas face shrinking waters, toxic pollution, and the erosion of their unique cultural heritage.”

Manchar Lake lies 18 kilometres west of Sehwan Sharif on the Indus Highway. It is claimed to be one of the biggest freshwater lakes in Pakistan, and the only lake that is home to fishermen living on wooden boathouses for hundreds of years.

The press release added that the film was produced with the support of the National Geographic Society and Climate Kahani.

“Moklani is both a visually striking and deeply human portrait of a community on the brink of cultural extinction,” the press release read. “Their struggle reflects the larger climate crisis Pakistan is experiencing.”

Sharif said that the film gave a voice to a community “the world is in danger of forgetting”.

“Their story reflects the urgent realities of climate change, cultural loss, andthe need to preserve both humanity and nature,” he was quoted as saying in the press release. “To see their story recognised on a global stage is deeply humbling. This recognition, above all, belongs to the Mohana community.”

Based in Islamabad, Jawad Sharif Films is an award-winning production house renowned for documentaries on culture, social justice, and climate change, including films such as 2015’s K2 and the Invisible Footmen, 2018’s Indus Blues and 2021’s Natari.