Daily Times

Pakistan’s arguably most famous filmmaker recently had a chance to meet one of her mentors. Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy took to Instagram and shared her experience of meeting the celebrated American host, Oprah Winfrey. “When I was a teenager and just starting out in journalism I watched a lot of Oprah Winfrey’s show,” the Academy Award winning filmmaker penned while sharing a carousel of pictures with Winfrey.

“Observed how kind she was onscreen, how she framed her questions and the way she disarmed her interviewees.”

Obaid-Chinoy further shared that plenty of her training came from the popular host’s shows. “So much of my early training came from those talk shows. So this conversation was special,” the Saving Face director.

A myriad of artists then commented on her post, sharing their disbelief. Mehwish Hayat, Mahira Khan, Zara Noor Abbas, Faisal Kapadia among many others cheered for the Pakistani filmmaker.

In an old interview with Refinery29, Obaid-Chinoy detailed her process of telling her stories. “When I was growing up, I would watch female journalists on television in the early 1990s, and that was something that inspired me to tell stories. Now, for the better part of two decades, I have created films that are a mirror to society,” the renowned filmmaker commented. “I want people to be deeply uncomfortable when they watch my work, to be uncomfortable about keeping silent when they see what’s happening around them. They play a role when they sit and watch these rules, regulations, and laws be made that allow the victimisation and marginalisation of communities,” she further shared. Last month, Obaid-Chinoy confirmed that she will direct a new Star Wars film, which is currently in the scripting stage. The film will be the first major big screen release for the entertainment company since 2019’s Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, with the studio having shifted focus to TV projects such as The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor in recent years. Obaid-Chinoy, who won Oscars for her documentary shorts Saving Face and A Girl in the River, will be co-writing the film with Damon Lindelof.

Her film will be set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker and will feature Daisy Ridley reprising her role as Rey as she builds a new Jedi Order. Steven Knight of Peaky Blinders is penning the script. The project marks a number of milestones for the franchise, including Obaid-Chinoy becoming the first woman and the first person of colour to direct a Star Wars movie.Courtesy refinery 29