- Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was born on November 12th 1978, and is a Pakistani journalist, filmmaker and activist.
- She has won many awards for her films such as Academy awards and Emmy Awards and she is the only Pakistani to have won two Oscars.
- In 2012, the Pakistani government awarded her with the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, the second highest civilian honour of the country.
- In 2012, Time Out named her as one of the most influential people in the world.
- She is one of only 11 female directors who has won an Oscar for a non-fiction film.
Sharmeen was born in the city of Karachi in Pakistan. Can you find it on the map?
Bahadur 3 (which means three brave ones) is a 3D animation which Sharmeen produced and directed in 2015. It was the first computer animated feature length film in Pakistan. The story focusses on three eleven year old friends who want to protect their community from the evils that have invaded their city.
The film was the highest grossing animation in Pakistani cinema and the 7th highest-grossing film of Pakistan to date.
After you have watched Bahadur 3, you can discuss with your child:
- Which superpower would you like to have - super speed, super hearing or super intelligence?
- Who was your favourite character in the film - Saadi, Kamil or Amna?
- Would you like to become a film-maker and if so which kind of film would you like to make?
After you have watched the clip, discuss what your child thinks about the fact it is difficult for many girls in Pakistan to get an education. My daughter Malika was horrified and wanted to run a poster campaign in Leith, the area we live in Edinburgh, as you can see from the below poster and the Instagram link, which is a video of Malika in full activist flow!!
As a follow on from the discussions on Sharmeen, you could explore the life story of another great Pakistani female activist, Malala Yousafzai.
The illustrations in this book are wonderful and my daughters, Malika and Ameenah, never tire of hearing this inspiring story...
