Photo Credit: Asad Faruqi/ HBO
Last year Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won a Best Documentary Short Film Oscar for her film “Saving Face,” which focused on the plight of two Pakistani women attacked with acid and their subsequent quest for justice. It was the first Academy Award in Pakistan’s history. “I’ve locked it in my house and we’re looking for a secure place to store it,” says Obaid-Chinoy. She says that taking home Oscar definitely changed her life, although she’s always focusing on the next film. “You’re always wondering if your next project will be as good as your last project,” she says, “I’ve had a lot more projects open up for me. ”
KCRW spoke with Obaid-Chinoy from her home in Karachi.
We’re catching up with Academy Award winners of a year ago who aren’t household names and don’t appear on the covers of magazines. What has winning an Academy Award meant for them? Does getting that little golden man bring you a bounty of opportunities you never thought possible? Or do you still have to hustle for that next film project, even with those magic words “Academy Award Winner” right before your name? Find all of these interviews here.