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 (born November 12, 1978) is a famous Pakistani-Canadian journalist and filmmaker. She is best known for making powerful films that shine a light on the unfair treatment of women and girls. Her work has won many awards, including two Academy Awards.

Obaid-Chinoy is also known for her work on popular series and movies. She directed episodes of the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel and is set to direct an upcoming Star Wars film starring Daisy Ridley as Rey.

Early Life and Schooling

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was born in Karachi, Pakistan, on November 12, 1978. Her father, Sheikh Obaid, was a businessman, and her mother, Saba Obaid, was a social worker. Sharmeen was a very curious child who always asked questions about the world. Her mother encouraged her to write down her questions.

This led her to start writing for a local newspaper when she was only 17 years old. She attended the Karachi Grammar School, where she was in the same class as actor Kumail Nanjiani.

For college, she moved to the United States and studied at Smith College. She later earned two master's degrees from Stanford University. After finishing her education, she became a Canadian citizen in 2004. Today, she divides her time between Karachi and Toronto.

Career as a Filmmaker

Obaid-Chinoy began her filmmaking career in 2002. She created films for major news outlets like The New York Times and the PBS series Frontline World. Her films often explore difficult but important topics.

Her work has been shown on big channels like PBS, CNN, and the Discovery Channel. She has won seven Emmy Awards for her documentaries.

Winning Academy Awards

Obaid-Chinoy made history by becoming the first Pakistani to win an Academy Award, also known as an Oscar. She won her first Oscar in 2012 for the documentary Saving Face. The film is about women who have survived acid attacks.

In 2016, she won her second Oscar for the film A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness. This film tells the story of a young woman who survived an attempted honour killing. An honour killing is a harmful practice where a person is attacked by their own family for supposedly bringing shame on them. Obaid-Chinoy's film was so powerful that it led to discussions with Pakistan's prime minister about changing laws to protect women.

Making Animated Movies

Besides documentaries, Obaid-Chinoy has also created animated films for children. In 2015, she directed Pakistan's first full-length animated movie, 3 Bahadur (which means 3 Brave Ones). The film was a huge success in Pakistan and was made to inspire bravery in young people. She also directed two sequels to the movie.

In 2020, her animated short film Sitara: Let Girls Dream was released. It tells the story of a young girl who dreams of becoming a pilot.

Working on Major Franchises

In recent years, Obaid-Chinoy has directed for some of the world's biggest entertainment companies. In 2022, she directed two episodes of the Marvel Studios series Ms. Marvel. This made her the first Pakistani director to work with Marvel.

In 2023, it was announced that she would direct a new Star Wars movie. The film will continue the story of the character Rey, 15 years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Helping Others

Obaid-Chinoy uses her fame to make a positive impact. In 2007, she helped start the Citizens Archive of Pakistan. This project works to save the country's history and culture.

She has also created projects to help people in Pakistan. Her Aagahi series of short animated videos teaches women about their legal rights. She also started a project called HOME1947, an exhibition about the experiences of people during the Partition of India in 1947.

In 2012, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. The government of Pakistan also gave her the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, one of the country's highest civilian honors.

Works

Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Non-fiction

Fiction

Other works

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy para niños

• List of Pakistani journalists