Patakha Pictures, spearheaded by two-time Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, has announced a mentorship programme, Frame by Frame, for emerging filmmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its Newly Merged Districts, namely Kurram, Orakzai, North Waziristan and Khyber Districts. The program aims to equip the youth with the materials and training they can use to create their own short documentary films.

Patakha Pictures was launched to empower and support a new generation of storytellers from Pakistan. By providing mentorship and funding, the Patakha Pictures’ programs encourage the youth to create short documentary films that shed light on important issues and resonate with the wider audience. With three successful cycles of such programs already under its belt, and one currently underway, this will be the fifth of its kind to be launched. This is also the first program to be offered specifically for youth in the Newly Merged Districts, namely Kurram, Orakzai, North Waziristan and Khyber Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and is open to both men and women.

For the Frame by Frame program, for which applications will open on 15th October, 10 filmmakers from Newly Merged Districts will be paired with 10 filmmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to create 10 short documentaries. As part of the mentorship process, Patakha Pictures will bring one international and one Pakistani mentor on board to nurture and develop the program fellows’ storytelling skills, enabling them to pique the interest of local and international audiences.

“As a filmmaker myself, I’ve seen the lack of representation for voices from the Newly Merged Districts in our mainstream media. That’s why this mentorship and funding grant cycle from Patakha Pictures is absolutely critical, since we want to provide a vital platform for 10 aspiring filmmakers from these districts paired with 10 filmmakers from the rest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to share their stories in their own words and on their home ground. Our exceptional mentors will of course be offering essential support and guidance throughout the year-long filmmaking process as our final selected fellows complete their films,” said Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Founder Patakha Pictures.

Interested filmmakers (all genders), between the ages of 18 and 29, domiciled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and its Newly Merged Districts, namely Kurram, Orakzai, North Waziristan and Khyber Districts are welcome to apply for this program at:

https://patakhapictures.com/index.php/frame-by-frame/

Applications are open from 15th October to 5th November and workshops will commence in November 2023.

The program is scheduled to begin in November 2023 until October 2024 with online workshops at least twice a month. The workshops will combine sessions with our international and Pakistani mentors and occasional in-person check-ins with the teams. Mentorship sessions will include, but not be limited to, storytelling, developing narratives, character development, direction, sound designing, and editing, followed by a celebratory closing event in Karachi to officially launch the completed films in October 2024.

PATAKHA PICTURES is an initiative of SOC Films.