Pakistani filmmakers, particularly those making short films and documentaries, are successfully drawing attention to the talent that resides at home and abroad.

Pakistani films, it seems, have taken it upon themselves to make romantic comedies, as is visible on Netflix, where nearly every film is in the rom-com category. But when it comes to documentary filmmakers, the story is different, and better. One such name is that of Singapore-based Pakistani documentary filmmaker, Shehzad Hameed.

The filmmaker (relatively) recently swept New York Festival 2020 with 3 wins (drawing up a total of 6 wins) at NYFF.

One of his acknowledgements comes on the basis of a documentary called Whiter Shade of Terror, a documentary film on white supremacist terrorism.

“It aimed to gain an understanding of the specific methods these white supremacist groups rely on to appeal to their followers to subscribe to their chilling worldview,” noted the press statement.

To make the documentary, noted the press statement further, “Shehzad went on a journey from the Christchurch mosque shooting to meeting white supremacist groups in Australia and Norway to investigate the political support these groups have.”

Apart from taking home the Silver medal in the Human Rights category, the filmmaker also picked up Bronze medal in the Human Concerns category for Caught in the Crossfire, “a documentary that was filmed to understand Afghans stuck in the battle between Allied Forces and The Taliban”.

Though he didn’t win, Shehzad Hameed also landed the coveted position of finalist for his documentary, The Battle for Kabul.

For the documentary, noted a press statement, “On this journey, he [Shehzad] embedded with the Afghanistan Army on an operation against the Taliban and investigate the reasons why they are fast losing soldiers to conflict and attrition as we film their training grounds.”

Shehzad Hameed has also won at NYFF in the past for his 2016 documentary, Flight of the Falcons, a Silver World Medal for Kasur’s Lost Children in 2017, a Silver World Medal for Rise and Fall of Mujib in 2019 along with a Bronze for Nepal’s Child Brides.

Speaking to Instep exclusively, over WhatsApp, in a coronavirus-infected world, Shehzad said, “Filming with a white supremacist militia in Georgia, USA and the Taliban in Ghazni, Afghanistan were equally nerve-racking. I’m grateful to my teams on the ground that stuck with me through thick and thin. Very happy that both documentaries won on the world stage.”