Daily Times

Two-time Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, in collaboration with Here Be Dragons and Within, proudly welcomed audiences to embark on a spectacularly visually inspiring journey in their first ever virtual reality film experience with the premiere of her series ‘Look But With Love’ (Dekh Magar Pyar Se) at the Karachi Biennale 2017 on Sunday – because everything you see, touch, feel or do should in fact, be done with love!

The surreally breathtaking five part documentary series can be experienced at its peak at the Frere Hall in Karachi until November 5, 2017.

Karachi Biennale makes up Pakistan’s largest international contemporary art event that is set to take place every two years in Karachi.

SOC Films will proudly be bringing the documentary series to selective schools and colleges all over the country, collaborating with massive technology giants needed to bring this three-dimensional experience in front of the viewer. With VR technology forming their very core, the films are expected to have an immediate and sensory effect on students and grown-ups alike, challenging them to observe and go beyond the headlines and most importantly, question the world around them.

On the release of Pakistan’s first ever Virtual Reality documentary series, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy commented, “As a storyteller I am always looking for a way to immerse the audience into an experience. My first VR series with Within takes viewers into the heart of Pakistan – a country that is deeply misunderstood.”

Directed by Sharmeen and presented by Within, ‘Look But With Love’ is a virtual reality documentary series that entails the ambitions of the extraordinary and hard-working people of Pakistan adamant on changing the socio-political landscape of their communities through causes they are deeply passionate and motivated about. VR documentaries such as Sharmeen’s aim to promote the rich cultural history of Pakistan and champion the empowerment of the marginalised women and children in our society in order to evoke a sense of social responsibility and awareness.

The five part series explores the lives of Pakistan’s most fearless and courageous citizens, one story after another – all the way from a doctor residing in the slums of Karachi who has dedicated his life to providing free emergency care to children, to a courageous community of women in Nowshera who have aimed to conglomerate as an unstoppable all-women anti-terrorism force. The rest of the films indulge in the story of a musician trying to preserve the melodies of his forefathers, a social activist crusading for the cause of clean water in Thar and a breath-taking dancer hailing from the cultural hub of Lahore.

In Pakistan, ‘Look But With Love’ is part of Dil Se Pakistan, which is Pakistan’s first trans-media campaign that encompasses an all rounding line-up of documentaries, music videos, TV shows, radio programs, virtual reality experiences and film festivals as well as on-ground activities across the country that celebrate Pakistan’s riveting diversity in the light of its unsung heroes taking us into the very heart and spirit of the land of the pure.

Published in Daily Times, October 27^th 2017.