Pakistan’s talent knows no bounds, especially when it comes to making difference through the power of pen and camera. After Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy bagging Oscar and all the other major accolades from around the world, another Pakistani filmmaker Shehzad Hameed has made us proud. He has recently won an award in the “Humans Concern Category” for his documentary, Kasur’s Lost Children, at New York Festival.
Kasur’s Lost Children spans on 48 minutes and basically revolves around the tale of Pakistan’s largest child sexual abuse scandal in Kasur. The scandal caused an uproar of anger and angst around the country, after it was found that an organized crime ring sold pornography of children to porn sites and blackmailed the relatives of the victims.
The documentary revolves around the journey of an activist to bring justice to the victims of this hideous crime.
During his conversation with a local publication, Hameed expressed his joy on winning a silver at the festival:
“It feels great that through this win, awareness regarding child abuse is being created. This is the only way to fight against such a heinous and hidden crime.”
This is the second documentary from this ace filmmaker to be featured at the New York Festival.
Hameed who works in Singapore, expresses the love for his own homeland as:
“Even though I moved to Singapore years ago, the stories, characters, plots we find in Pakistan are complex, difficult and extremely compelling. The heroism of our activists, the courage of our women and the ability of Pakistanis fighting back against the tide is so inspiring for filmmakers like me.”
Shehzad Hameed is currently working on his next project related to Afghanistan. Whatever he gets his hand into, is definitely powerful and worth applauding with messages that create a difference. We wish Hammed a lot of best wishes and congratulations for making this country and his roots proud.
In case you missed out on the documentary, here it is:
