By Shahina Maqbool
Prominent Pakistani filmmaker Samar Minallah has won the prestigious ‘International Roberto Rossellini Award 2009’ and the ‘Cannon Award 2009’ at the International Film Festival held in Italy.
She has been awarded in recognition of her many artistic and personal achievements, notably her work for civil rights and support of disadvantaged groups, particularly women in Pakistan.
Since the theme of this year’s festival was ‘Women in Cinema,’ Samar has dedicated the award to the women of Pakistan who, she said, continue to play a significant role in society. Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa and William Raee from Hollywood were also awarded at the ceremony.
For more than a decade, Samar has been highlighting various issues related to the women of Pakistan. She has, for the last 20 years, been conducting anthropological research on various aspects of Pukhtun women and documenting the positive aspects of their lives through print and electronic media. Most of her works including ‘Bibi Shireenay: Where Honour Comes From’ and ‘Shinwaray Lawangeena: Where the Waters Meet’ are still keenly being viewed by audiences in Afghanistan and North West Frontier Province.
While Samar has primarily been documenting the positive aspects of the lives of Pukhtun women, her documentaries have also focused on social and human rights issues. Most of her documentaries, especially the award winning ‘Swara: A Bridge Over Troubled Waters’, is being used for educational purposes at Amnesty International while ‘Bibi Shireenay’ has been screened at the United Nations building in New York. Her documentaries have helped in breaking the silence around many sanctioned forms of violence against women. All her documentaries are issue-based, targeting the general audience and policymakers.
In the past too, Samar had won the ‘International Perdita Human Rights Activist Award’ awarded by the United Nations Capital Hill in Washington for her work against the custom of giving innocent girls as compensation. The award was presented by well-renowned feminist and author Gloria Steinman. Samar has also won a Unesco-sponsored regional documentary-making competition, addressing the issue of HIV and AIDS. Other countries participating were Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
The filmmaker is also a recipient of the Unicef Child Rights Award 2005, which was presented to her for upholding the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in programming for and about the girl child in Pakistan. Some of her recent documentaries are ‘Allaho: A Lullaby for You my Daughter!’ ‘Warawae-e-Lasoona: The Song of Unity,’ ‘The Missing Link,’ ‘The Hidden Colours of the Northwest Frontier Province,’ and ‘The Dark Side of Migration.’
With an MPhil in Anthropology & Development from the University of Cambridge, Samar focuses on a culturally sensitive approach while reaching out to her target audience. Her documentaries are being used for advocacy and awareness raising by various government and non-governmental organisations.
Roberto Rossellini (May 8, 1906-June 3, 1977) was an Italian film director of the Italian Neo-realist Cinema. The award was presented to Samar by Renzo Rossellini, Roberto Rossellini’s son and president of the Roberto Rossellini Film Festival.