U.S. Consulate General Karachi showcased Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s 2012 Academy Award-winning film “Saving Face” as part of its “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence.” The campaign, held globally November 25 to December 10 each year, draws attention to issues of racism, sexism, cultures of violence, homophobia, human rights and, specifically, ending gender-based violence against girls and women.
“We are very fortunate to have with us today a film-maker of Sharmeen’s stature,” said U.S. Consul General Brian Heath. “Each year in Pakistan, more than 100 women are victims of acid attacks. This cruel and vicious practice must stop, as must the extensive and all too common violence against women and girls. We, too, in the United States took far too long to begin to address the issue of violence against women and girls. That is why U.S. Consulate General Karachi is so supportive of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence campaign. This is something that we all need to work on together.”
“Saving Face” chronicles the lives of acid-attack survivors Zakia and Rukhsana as they attempt to bring their assailants to justice and move on with their lives. Nongovernmental organizations and sympathetic policy-makers support the women in their efforts. Likewise, Islamic Help plastic surgeon Dr. Mohammad Jawad returned to Pakistan to provide medical assistance, attorney Sarkar Abbass takes on Zakia’s case and female politician Marvi Memon advocates for new legislation to better protect women and girls.
About Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy
Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy is an Academy Award and an Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker focused on human rights and women’s issues. Her most recent work includes documentary features “Song of Lahore” and “A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers.” In the past 15 years, Sharmeen has made over a dozen films in more than 10 countries. She won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Short Documentary and 2013 Emmy for “Saving Face,” and a 2010 Emmy for “Pakistan’s Taliban Generation/Children of the Taliban.”
