Bringing pride to the country once again, two-time Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is all set to premiere her first immersive installation in the country.
Primarily aimed at telling stories about the mass movement that took place decades ago, ‘Home 1947’ is an initiative that is directed towards reliving the experience of partition, on account of nation’s 70th anniversary.
“Home 1947 is my first immersive installation in Pakistan that aims to narrate the story of what it felt like leaving home and crossing borders during the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent,” said Sharmeen in an exclusive interview with The News.
The event commences Saturday, October 21, at Al-Hamra Arts Council, Lahore. It brings together a large number of people who left back all their belongings and migrated to Pakistan, in search of a better life.
Looking forward to welcoming everyone to #home1947 tomorrow at AlHamra Auditorium #Lahore 10 am-8 pm we had a great start today! @pkBritish pic.twitter.com/zDe96giCLd
— Sharmeen Obaid (@sharmeenochinoy) October 20, 2017
Moreover, the two-day magnificent installation incorporates music, film, virtual reality simulations, audio clips and short documentaries that bring the diversified experience of partition back to life.
An extension to the previously-showcased installation featured in Manchester International Festival, Sharmeen aims to venture into a newer field with the launch of this installation. Such installations, she believes, are beneficial for the society as they bring together ‘culturally diverse stories on a common platform.’
“The response we received regarding the installation in Manchester was over-whelming. This is the main reason why we planned to showcase it in Lahore. Next in line is Karachi’s exhibition beginning next month”, shared the seasoned film-maker.
Watch academy award winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s #HOME1947 at #HeritageNow pic.twitter.com/urjMPoigX2
— British Council (@pkBritish) October 20, 2017
‘Home 1947’ is a recollection of stories involving the biggest mass migration to be ever witnessed in history. Sharmeen hopes to host many such installations in the future too.
She went on to add, “I am a storyteller. I intend to knit, portray and narrate stories to be told to the masses and I believe art is a very effective communication tool to achieve the said purpose.”
It can be safely asserted that Sharmeen’s company ‘SOC films’ has repeatedly set benchmarks when it comes to using film and cinema effectively to impart a specific message to the wider audience. In addition to ‘HOME 1947’, SOC films’ recent work, ‘Look But With Love' is Pakistan’s first ever virtual reality (VR) documentary series featuring five stories of extraordinary people, hailing from Thar to Nowshera, who strive to change the socio-political landscape of their communities through causes they are deeply passionate about.
This one-of-a-kind VR series will be screened at Frere Hall, Karachi beginning from October 22.
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