Pakistan just had another proud moment at the 38th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards, held in Manhattan just recently, when multiple award winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy bagged another statue for Best Documentary for A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness. Sharmeen already has 2 Academy Awards and 6 Emmys for her work over the years and this added to her mantle of achievements. The event took place some time ago in New York and Sharmeen posted the great news on social media, to the delight of her friends, family and fans. It is indeed a proud moment for Pakistan!
A Girl in the River addresses the horrors of ‘honour killings’ rampant in this part of the world and Sharmeen has already won an Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subject, for this film in 2016. Last year the documentary was also screened at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat in Islamabad, after which then PM Nawaz Sharif and Sharmeen discussed the urgent need for amendments to prevent honour killings in Pakistan. The sad state is that there is very little protection for women in the country and honour killings rarely make it to court, let alone provide justice. The families usually settle for ‘blood money’ as was the case with Qandeel Baloch, one amongst hundreds of young girls killed for ‘honour’ each year.
“Winning an Emmy award for important work that starts critical discourse is rewarding!” Sharmeen sent us a message when we wrote to her, congratulating her on her win and asking what this award meant to her. “Our commitment to furthering the conversation on honor killings is firm! We shall continue to persevere.”
- This article has been updated with a quote from Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy
