Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy becomes first Pakistani to win Eliasson Global Leadership Prize

Internationally acclaimed Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has scored herself the 2018 Eliasson Global Leadership Prize making her the first Pakistani to get her hands on the prestigious award.

The two-time Academy Award winner was lauded by The Tällberg Foundation in New York for her distinctive way of story-telling and “extraordinary, courageous leadership.”

In a statement revealed, the activist and journalist expresses her gratitude at the accolades paid to her saying: “I am honored to receive the Eliasson Global Leadership Prize at a time when holding up a mirror to society comes with a heavy price. With fellow film-makers being jailed and killed around the world for simply speaking the truth, we need to have the courage to persevere.”

The 39-year-old went on to add: “I remain committed to telling difficult stories in the hope that the conversations they spark will change the way we all see the world.”

About the esteemed filmmaker the chief of Tällberg Foundation stated: “These leaders, working in very different contexts, share a common commitment: to make the world less what it is and at least a little more like what it should be. Taken together, we view this as an incredibly positive and powerful statement about the kinds of leadership we need in the world today.”