Sharmeen Obaid wins second Oscar award

[Raja.Pakistani]

Sharmeen Obaid got the secret of winning the oscar which is to make a documentary about social issues or taboo subjects in our society especially related to girls as per perception of western audience about Pakistani conservative society..

Well congrats to her for this personal achievement

 

[Indus Pakistan]

lack of Education , and poverty and tribal marriages and lot of tribal/village level ignorant minds

And these things are not going to be sorted out by shouting out abracadebra or waiting till end of time. Chinoy by winning by giving publicity to these issues and winning Oscars indirectly applies pressure on those who hold power in Pakistan to make a start in bringing change by direct (law) and indirect (education, poverty, tribal marriages etc) influence on society.

Covering the problem or ignoring it is certainly not going to resolve this problem.

secret of winning

Yes, there is more than hint of truth in that. But ends justifies the means on this occasion.

 

[PerennialAutumn_RR]

Sharmeen Obaid got the secret of winning the oscar which is to make a documentary about social issues or taboo subjects in our society especially related to girls as per perception of western audience about Pakistani conservative society..

Well congrats to her for this personal achievement

Agreed! It's her personal achievement. She will not make a documentary about positive things to create a soft image of Pakistan. Because she will not be going to win an Oscars then.

 

[Peshwa]

The fact that there are people in Pakistan willing to put their life on the line to speak up and show the story of the oppressed is itself a deviation from the image of Pakistan in the west and in the media.

Sharmeen has done a great service to Pakistanis in my mind...more like her are needed!

 

[Raja.Pakistani]

Agreed! It's her personal achievement. She will not make a documentary about positive things to create a soft image of Pakistan. Because she will not be going to win an Oscars then.

Well no western is interested in positive stuffs as they want to see the horror in Muslim societies because thats how they perceive our society and people as backward, immoral stone age people completely opposite to superior civilised west . You remember slumdog millionaire?You make a documentary about stuffs Edhi doing and guaranteed that no one will bother about it. You make a documentary about some kids who got killed and suffered because of american drones and then see what it will earn you

Read this

Malala and Nabila: worlds apart - Al Jazeera English

It is useful to contrast the American response to Nabila Rehman with that of Malala Yousafzai, a young girl who was nearly assassinated by the Pakistani Taliban. While Malala was feted by Western media figures, politicians and civic leaders for her heroism, Nabila has become simply another one of the millions of nameless, faceless people who have had their lives destroyed over the past decade of American wars. The reason for this glaring discrepancy is obvious. Since Malala was a victim of the Taliban, she, despite her protestations, was seen as a potential tool of political propaganda to be utilised by war advocates. She could be used as the human face of their effort, a symbol of the purported decency of their cause, the type of little girl on behalf of whom the United States and its allies can say they have been unleashing such incredible bloodshed. Tellingly, many of those who took up her name and image as a symbol of the justness of American military action in the Muslim world did not even care enough to listen to her own words or feelings about the subject.

As described by the Washington Post's Max Fisher:

Western fawning over Malala has become less about her efforts to improve conditions for girls in Pakistan, or certainly about the struggles of millions of girls in Pakistan, and more about our own desire to make ourselves feel warm and fuzzy with a celebrity and an easy message. It's a way of letting ourselves off the hook, convincing ourselves that it's simple matter of good guys vs bad guys, that we're on the right side and that everything is okay.

But where does Nabila fit into this picture? If extrajudicial killings, drone strikes and torture are in fact all part of a just-cause associated with the liberation of the people of Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere, where is the sympathy or even simple recognition for the devastation this war has caused to countless little girls such as her? The answer is clear: The only people to be recognized for their suffering in this conflict are those who fall victim to the enemy. Malala for her struggles was to be made the face of the American war effort - against her own will if necessary - while innumerable little girls such as Nabila will continue to be terrorized and murdered as part of this war without end. There will be no celebrity appearances or awards ceremonies for Nabila. At her testimony almost no one even bothered to attend.

But if they had attended, they would've heard a nine-year-old girl asking the questions which millions of other innocent people who have had their lives thrown into chaos over the past decade have been asking: "When I hear that they are going after people who have done wrong to America, then what have I done wrong to them? What did my grandmother do wrong to them? I didn't do anything wrong."

 

[Taimoor Khan]

Very convenient. Highlight Pakistan short comings and win global recognition. This is NOT something to cherish by those who look at bigger picture.

 

[niaz]

I am happy whenever a Pakistani receives world recognition. Therefore first of all let me express my heartfelt congratulations to Ms Sharmeen Chinoy for her achievement. Film making is an extremely competitive art and to win Oscar twice in row is no mean achievement.

In my opinion, country is shown in bad light when a cold blooded killer Mumtaz Qadri is considered a hero by lawyers with religious parties lodging protests resulting in the whole country being put on alert, even though Mumtaz Qadri was executed after the process of law took its full course; something denied by Qadri when he acted as judge & jury and shot Salman Taseer without remorse. I also remember that the same religious parties had distributed sweets when ignoring pleas of mercy by nearly all the world leaders; Zia hanged Z A Bhutto in April 1979.

On the other hand that the very fact a Pakistani women dared to expose a dark aspect of our culture shows the positive that every Pakistani is not a suicide bomber and there are some Pakistanis who are fighting against the retrogression into the dark ages. Besides, neither Pakistan nor Sharmeen Chinoy invent violence against women. It has occurred in every society all through the ages. I grew up in a village environment and am fully aware that not only there is violence upon women by husband & male relatives but also by women upon women especially if the poor bride got less dowry than expected.

I would also agree that gulf between the liberals and the conservative section of the society in both the urban & rural population is widening; evident in the reaction to the Women’s Protection ordinance from different quarters. Nevertheless most sane persons agree that honour killing is a bad thing.

In my humble opinion unless you high light a problem, you cannot resolve it. Sharmeen nominated for the Oscar second time may have been the catalyst that caused Punjab Assembly to pass the Women Protection Law, for this alone Sharmeen Chinoy deserves accolade.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Would be sure 85% would be sleeping or eating pan chalia after first 3 minute of movie that is how much our leaders feel about local people's lives

That is a poor reflection on the Pakistani leadership, Pakistani society and Pakistanis - it takes nothing away from her achievement or the necessity of making documentaries like the ones she has, and many more. Nawaz Sharif at least arranged for a screening of the film, watched the whole thing and committed to reforms - whether the rest of the PML-N and/or other political parties help him achieve what he committed remains to be seen.

Perhaps her next project should be a documentary on the apathy and ignorance that feeds criticism and an irrational backlash like that directed at Malala and Sharmeen for highlighting evils in our society.

2. they are trying to show that their society is better then ours although in west now a man can marry a man and get a marriage certificate.

That does show that their society is better than that in Pakistan - I think you sort of made their point for them.

Agreed! It's her personal achievement. She will not make a documentary about positive things to create a soft image of Pakistan. Because she will not be going to win an Oscars then.

No one is stopping other Pakistanis from making excellent documentaries about 'positive things in Pakistan'.

Everyone feels they have a 'calling' - hers, correctly in my view, is of highlighting social and cultural ills. For doing that in a manner that wins her awards is something all Pakistanis should be proud of and congratulate her for.

 

[Viking 63]

Congrats my dear lady !! you have made all of us very proud.

 

[Genghis khan1]

Fake war wins big at Oscars, real-life war fighters left holding goodie bag

Fake war wins big at Oscars, real-life war fighters left holding goodie bag

dystopian movie about post-apocalyptic desert warfare blew up on Hollywood’s biggest night, with “Mad Max: Fury Road” running away with more Oscar gold than any other film at Sunday’s Academy Awards.

Movies by and about real-life war fighters from today’s actual wars, however, did not fare so well.

“Day One,” for example, about an Afghan-American interpreter on her first day on the job with a small U.S. Army unit downrange, was written and directed by combat veteran Henry Hughes.

The movie was nominated for best live action short, but lost to “Stutterer,” a film about a typographer with a speech impediment.

“A War” — about a small Danish army unit fighting in Afghanistan — was up for best foreign language film, but lost to “Son of Saul,” about life in a Nazi death camp.

The 30-minute documentary “Last Day of Freedom” tells the story of Marine veteran Manuel Babbitt through the eyes of his brother. Babbitt was executed in California after being convicted of beating an elderly woman to death. This is a poster used to market the film. (Photo: Courtesy of Dee Hibbert-Jones)

Meanwhile, another U.S. film, “Last Day of Freedom,” about a Marine Corps veteran suffering from extreme post-traumatic stress, lost its best short documentary bid to a film chronicling the so-called “honor killings” of women and girls in Pakistan.

They were certainly not the only military-themed movies in recent years to get teased with an Oscar nomination, but ultimately left holding only a swag bag from the red carpet night.

“Captain Phillips,” for example, about the Navy’s rescue of MV Maersk Alabama from Somali hijackers, was nominated for six Oscars in 2014, including best picture, but won none.

"Restrepo" — a groundbreaking look at a small unit in a remote outpost in Afghanistan — was a favorite for best feature documentary at the 2011 Academy Awards, but lost to a film about the financial meltdown.

Last year, "American Sniper" was nominated for six Oscars, including best actor and best picture, but in the end won only for sound editing.


A documentary that raises questions about veterans' mental health care, capital punishment and justice for troubled troops is on the short list for an Oscar on Feb. 28. Courtesy of Dee Hibbert-Jones

Indeed, military movies have won Oscar gold in only three of the last six Academy Awards, says Laura Law-Millett, director of the annual Washington, D.C.-based GI Film Festival.

And last year was the best showing. While the "American Sniper" losses were widely seen a snub, "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1" won for best documentary, and "Imitation Game" took best screenplay.

On the whole, Law-Millett says, military movies are getting better recognition even though most don’t pull off an Oscar win.

"If anything, I think we are seeing a trend to honor more military movies. Getting an Oscar nomination is half the battle and a step in the right direction,” Law-Millett says.

“It is extremely important that we, as the ticket-buying audience, continue to demand to see more movies about the military experience because it shouldn't be that only 1 percent of our society bears the burden of our nation's foreign policy. By filmmakers creating and sharing more military-themed films, more people will have an opportunity to appreciate the service and sacrifices of our military members and their families. As long as filmmakers keep creating, the nominations and wins will keep coming."

One film already generating Oscar buzz for next year is the just-released "Thank you For Your Service," directed by Tom Donahue.

“It’s one of the most powerful, impactful films I have ever seen,” says Law-Millett, who adds that the documentary will be showcased at the upcoming GI Film Festival, which is celebrating its 10th year in May. Meanwhile, “Birthday,” a short film that was screened at last year’s GI Film Fest, is another contender. “Hopefully it will get a nomination next year, too,” she said.

 

[544_delta]

Did either one of you managed to watch the film by any chance ?

oh come on.. whats the point of that.....how come documentaries about people like eidhi don't win any awards? why do people like rushdie and tasneem win these awards the only achievment of whom is to aggravate muslims?

 

[Psychic]

To hell with what the world thinks ...that is their problem and thinking

This documentary was made for "the world" to think....not for "us" to think.

 

[litman]

That does show that their society is better than that in Pakistan - I think you sort of made their point for them.

.

that also shows that you have the obsession with the west and it is useless to argue with you

 

[litman]

off the topic but women problems in the third world are greatly highlighted but just google the statistics of rape on and you will find that western countries rank at the top who are greatly idealized by many of us.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

oh come on.. whats the point of that.....how come documentaries about people like eidhi don't win any awards? why do people like rushdie and tasneem win these awards the only achievment of whom is to aggravate muslims?

What 'aggravation to Muslims' did Sharmeen or Malala cause? The issues they received coverage over are very real issues that need to be addressed.

And the thing you don't get is that Edhi's work addresses similar evils and issues in society - when Edhi takes in orphans, the next natural question is going to be about how these children are orphaned - why does Pakistan have such a massive welfare organization like Edhi's? Oh, right, because the government is corrupt and basic services are missing and parents are mired in poverty or don't want female children and therefore abandon them.

There is no way these hard questions about the ills in Pakistani society, that drive the need for organizations like Edhi, can be ignored. Pakistan's success will not be in highlighting Edhi or Edhi expanding his organization or a hundred more Edhi's starting up, Pakistan's success will lie in minimizing the need for organizations like Edhi's, and the only way to minimize that need is to highlight the root causes behind it, which is what Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and Malala have done.

that also shows that you have the obsession with the west and it is useless to argue with you

I'm pointing out a simple and basic fact, that in allowing gay marriage the West has clearly stated that it does not wish for the State to institutionalize hatred and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. It's a very common sense position rooted in basic human values of respect and tolerance for the life choices of human beings that do not tangibly and negatively impact other human beings.

There is no obsession here, and the reason you find it 'useless to argue' with the likes of me is that you have no rational and factual counter-argument and choose to hide behind personal attacks and angry outbursts.