‘The Journey Within’ receives top honours in UK

ISLAMABAD: “The Journey Within”, an award-winning music documentary showcasing the story of the origin of the Coke Studio, directed by Mian Adnan Ahmad, has received top honours in the UK by winning the Award of Best Film at the 2022 DESIblitz Film Fusion Festival, says a press release issued here on Saturday.

In attendance at the festival were celebrated filmmakers Jamil Dehlavi and Leslee Udwin who received the Lifetime Achievement Awards. Human rights activist and documentary-maker Samar Minallah’s short film, “Outswing” was given the Best Documentary Award.

While “The Journey Within” still awaits an official release date, it has continued to break stereotypes and win accolades and is screened regularly worldwide, with limited showings in Pakistan.

The film has received the festival’s top prize more than once, including at its very first screening event in the US where it won the “Best of Fest” award at the Full Bloom Film Festival in North Carolina.

It was also selected as the best film from South Asia to represent the DFW South Asian Film Festival at the prestigious Best of Fests event in Dallas, Texas.

Its most recent win is a remarkable feat as the film continues to make an impact across the globe, highlighting its relevance even today as a music documentary from Pakistan since historically, Pakistan has very few films which document its artists, music and culture and so generations miss out by having no way to look back and experience the journey of how a show such as this came into being.

This film attempts to change that by documenting this important period in music through a journey of self-discovery, with the show’s origin story, allowing people to experience how it all came together and brought to light the rich and powerful musical heritage of this region.

Other than its acclaimed producer, Rohail Hyatt, the narrative also gives a unique insight into the working of some of Pakistan’s leading folk musicians including Saieen Zahoor, Arif Lohar, Akhtar Chanal and others.