Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hilal-e-Imtiaz Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Chinoy at the World Economic Forum in 2013
Born	(1978-11-12) November 12, 1978 (age 46) Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Nationality	Pakistani
Citizenship	Canadian
Alma mater	Smith College (BA) Stanford University (MA, MIP)
Occupation	Filmmaker, journalist
Years active	2000–present
Spouse(s)	Fahd Kamal Chinoy
Children	2
Honours	Hilal-e-Imtiaz

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Urdu: شرمین عبید چنائے; born November 12, 1978) is a famous filmmaker and journalist from Canada and Pakistan. She is known for making movies that show important issues, especially how women are treated unfairly.

Sharmeen is set to direct an upcoming Star Wars movie. This new film will bring back Daisy Ridley as the character Rey.

Early Life and Education

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was born in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 12, 1978. Her mother, Saba Obaid, is a social worker, and her father, Sheikh Obaid, was a businessman. Sharmeen has four younger sisters and a younger brother.

She went to Convent of Jesus and Mary and then Karachi Grammar School. Even though she got good grades, Sharmeen loved asking questions about the world. Her mother suggested she write down her questions. By age 17, Sharmeen was already writing investigative reports for a local newspaper.

Later, she moved to the United States for college. She studied at Smith College and earned a bachelor's degree in Economics and Government in 2002. Sharmeen then got two master's degrees from Stanford University. She studied Communication and International Policy. In 2004, she became a Canadian citizen.

Sharmeen's Filmmaking Career

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy started her filmmaking career in 2002. Her first film, Terror's Children, was made for The New York Times. She also made two award-winning films while studying at Stanford University.

She worked closely with the PBS TV series Frontline World. For five years, she created many reports and videos from Pakistan. Some of her most well-known films include Children of the Taliban, The Lost Generation, Afghanistan Unveiled, 3 Bahadur, and Song of Lahore. She also directed the Academy Award-winning films Saving Face and A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness.

Her films have won many awards. These include two Academy Awards for Best Short Subject Documentary (in 2012 and 2016). She also won Emmy Awards in the same category (in 2010 and 2011). Her work has been shown on major international channels like PBS, CNN, Discovery Channel, and Al Jazeera English.

Breaking Records and Making History

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has won seven Emmy Awards. Two of these were International Emmy Awards for her documentaries Pakistan's Taliban Generation and Saving Face. When she won an Academy Award for Saving Face, she became the first Pakistani to ever win an Oscar. She is also one of only 11 female directors to win an Oscar for a non-fiction film. She was also the first non-American to win the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.

In 2012, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. On March 23, 2012, the President of Pakistan gave her the Hilal-e-Imtiaz. This is Pakistan's second-highest civilian award, given for bringing honor to the country through her films.

Important Projects and Initiatives

In 2007, Sharmeen helped start the Citizens Archive of Pakistan. This group works to save Pakistan's culture and history. She also helps with Pakistan's national blood safety program.

In 2014, Sharmeen's company, SOC Films, released Aghaz-e-Safar. This 12-episode series for Aaj News talked about problems affecting everyday Pakistanis. These included issues like domestic violence and water scarcity.

On May 22, 2015, Pakistan's first animated movie, 3 Bahadur, was released. Sharmeen directed this film, which was made to teach bravery to young people in Pakistan. It was the first computer-animated movie made by a Pakistani team. Even though it was shown on only 50 screens, it became Pakistan's highest-earning animated movie ever.

On February 22, 2016, her film A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness was shown at the Prime Minister's office in Pakistan. This led to discussions about changing laws to prevent "honor killings" in Pakistan. The film won Sharmeen her second Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subject, at the 88th Academy Awards.

In January 2017, Sharmeen was the first artist to co-chair the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). This is a very important global event. She said it was a great honor to represent both art and Pakistan.

In November 2017, she received the Knight International Journalism Award. This award recognized her brave work in showing the human cost of extremism.

In 2018, Sharmeen launched the Aagahi series. These videos teach women about their rights and how to get help from the police and legal system. The series has been very helpful to many women.

In September 2019, Sharmeen released her animated film, Sitara: Let Girls Dream. This film was made entirely in Pakistan by her animation company, Waadi Animations. It tells a story about girls' dreams.

In September 2020, it was announced that Sharmeen would help direct the Ms. Marvel series for Disney+. This made her the first Pakistani director to work with Marvel Studios.

In February 2023, Sharmeen started an art program called "Neela Asmaan" through SOC Films. This program helps artists from Pakistan and other countries work in the beautiful Shigar Valley of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Works

Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Non-fiction Films and Series

Fiction Films and Series

Other Creative Works

Awards and Recognitions

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has received many important awards for her work.

Other Achievements

• She is a Trustee at Smith College.
• She is a board member of the Asian University for Women.
• In 2017, she was the first artist to co-chair the World Economic Forum.

See also

In Spanish: Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy para niños

• List of Pakistani journalists