Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Highlights Power of Audience Engagement and Institutional Collaboration at KLF
Irfan Ali
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Highlights Power of Audience Engagement and Institutional Collaboration at KLF
Karachi, Renowned filmmaker and Academy Award-winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy underscored the importance of audience engagement in creating impactful and meaningful content while speaking on the second day of the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF), held at the Beach Luxury Hotel.
Addressing the issue of hate violence, she emphasized that research and relevance must go hand in hand.
“After extensive research on hate violence, we focus on content that echoes with the audience. There is no point in creating material that fails to engage people,” she said, adding that effective storytelling requires more than awareness of pressing social issues. According to her, creators must also understand what captures public interest to ensure that important messages reach and influence their intended audiences.
Reflecting on the resilience of individuals living amid uncertainty, she remarked: “There are many people who are surviving solely on hope, believing in miracles,” highlighting the quiet strength and perseverance of those facing adversity.
“I am inspired by everyday Pakistanis. Hope is a wonderful thing, if you have hope, you will create change.”
Speaking about her body of work on environmental advocacy, Sharmeen shared that her team has produced 18 films on climate change. In addition, they commissioned children’s books on climate change and distributed them to 800 schools to raise awareness among younger generations.
She also spoke about the importance of building sustainable creative institutions in Pakistan.
“One of our missions is to build institutions for Pakistan,” she said, adding that through her production company, Patakha Pictures, 65 women filmmakers have been funded to-date. She stressed that such initiatives are only possible through collaboration. “It is impossible to do this without the collaboration between institutions.”
The session highlighted the role of storytelling, hope, and institutional support in addressing social challenges and developing meaningful change in Pakistan.
