20 filmmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kurram, Khyber, Orakzai and North Waziristan selected for Patakha Pictures frame by frame mentorship program

Patakha Pictures, spearheaded by two-time Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, has announced that twenty male and female filmmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its Newly Merged Districts of Kurram, Khyber, Orakzai and North Waziristan have been selected to participate in the “Frame By Frame” funding and mentorship program.

Patakha Pictures is opening up some strands of programming for men, and this inaugural strand, exclusively designed for applicants from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its Newly Merged Districts, includes both men and women for the first time. Consequently, the ‘Frame by Frame’ fellowship has garnered a large number of applications from candidates in these areas.

The “Frame By Frame” program aims to equip the youth with the materials and training they can use to create their own short documentary films. The current program is the fifth of its kind being executed by Patakha Pictures and SOC Films and has the distinction of being the first instance that has been offered specifically for youth in the Newly Merged Districts, while being open to both men and women, another first for the program.

Under this program, selected fellows will work in pairs to create their films, with one fellow domiciled in the Newly Merged Districts and the other from the remaining districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Over 9 months these aspiring filmmakers will be mentored by two industry experts (one international mentor and one Pakistani mentor) to hone their skills and explore documentary creativity. At its conclusion, the filmmaking pairs will produce 10 short documentaries that reflect on and question their society on themes such as peacebuilding, tourism, climate change, education, art, culture, community work, sports, agriculture, minority groups and women’s empowerment.

Joining the fifth iteration as mentors are Noé Mendelle (a Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences, and Director of the Scottish Documentary Institute) and Shahrukh Waheed(an Emmy-nominated producer and filmmaker based in Karachi with academic experience in Media Studies and Digital Film Production from the UK).

“Over two decades ago when I started my journalism and filmmaking career, I was able to document some of the unique narratives that I came across from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its adjoining FATA districts (now NMDs). I was witness to the immense beauty and warmth of the people and could see the untapped wealth of stories from the region. Now, as Patakha Pictures introduces its inaugural strand of ‘Frame by Frame’ fellows from the region, welcoming men into the team for the first time, I am delighted that our initiative promises to redefine Pakistan’s film ecosystem, by providing a platform to capture and amplify diverse voices from this vibrant and unexplored terrain,” said Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

After receiving an overwhelming number of submissions from male and female documentary filmmakers for “Frame By Frame”, the following applicants were selected to take part in the program:

PATAKHA PICTURESwas launched to empower and support a new generation of storytellers from Pakistan. By providing mentorship and funding, the program encourages emerging filmmakers to create films that push boundaries and start important conversations.

PATAKHA PICTURES is an initiative of SOC Films.