Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has brought home many accolades including the prestigious Oscar trophy twice. The filmmaker is known for creating socially relevant content that raises awareness about prevalent issues faced by the public, especially women and children in our region. One of her most recent efforts is the Aagahi series, which aims to educate Pakistani women about their legal rights. The series has bagged a nomination at 66th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity under the ‘Sustainable Development Goals Lions in the Gender Equality’ category.
“Aagahi is a campaign designed to create awareness in women so they are able to navigate the police and judicial system with confidence in Pakistan. The impact created in rural and urban communities through Aagahi has been tremendous and we at SOC Films are delighted to be shortlisted for the Cannes Sustainable Development Goals award,â€Â Sharmeen said on her first Cannes Lions nomination.
The campaign, produced by SOC Films in collaboration with Women Action Forum Karachi, has released a series of short animated films in Urdu over the past seven months. The series explain key issues that affect women; and give an overview of how the legal provisions granted to them may be applied, such as; how to file an FIR, what does the law state on instances of domestic violence, divorce, cyber-crimes and inheritance and what is the procedure for reporting issues like these and who should be approached for help.
The winners will be announced during the Cannes Lions Good track award ceremony on June 21.