By Dr Ansab Ali | Lahore, Pakistan

KARACHI: Two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has celebrated five years of Patakha Pictures, an initiative of SOC Films dedicated to nurturing Pakistan’s next generation of documentary filmmakers.

The special event in Karachi also highlighted eight women filmmakers selected for the 2026 edition of Claim the Frame, the initiative’s filmmaking mentorship and funding programme.

Since its launch in 2022, Patakha Pictures has supported 76 emerging filmmakers, whose work has collectively earned more than 22 awards and been screened at over 100 film festivals worldwide.

Presented in partnership with the British Council and the Scottish Documentary Institute, Claim the Frame marks the eighth cycle of the programme. It brings together eight women filmmakers from Punjab, Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan, working in four creative pairs.

Their documentaries explore a range of important social and cultural issues, including women breaking barriers in traditionally male-dominated fields, climate change, child marriage, survival and artistic traditions in Cholistan, and generations of women providing healthcare in one of Pakistan’s most remote valleys.

Speaking on the occasion, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, founder of Patakha Pictures, said the initiative’s five-year journey had reinforced the belief that talent exists everywhere, but opportunities remain unequal.

She said collaboration with the British Council Pakistan and the Scottish Documentary Institute had demonstrated how access to funding, mentorship and creative freedom could transform the careers of women filmmakers.

From award-winning alumni to the newly selected Claim the Frame fellows, their achievements highlighted the importance of investing in emerging creative voices, she added.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy expressed her ambition to establish Patakha Pictures as a permanent platform where the next generation of storytellers could learn, collaborate and develop their creative potential.

The five-year celebration reflected on the evolution of Patakha Pictures from a filmmaking mentorship initiative into a growing community of storytellers representing diverse communities across Pakistan.

Over successive programme cycles, participating filmmakers have received financial support, international mentorship, practical filmmaking assistance and opportunities to develop documentaries rooted in their own communities.

Through these initiatives, Patakha Pictures continues to create opportunities for emerging filmmakers, amplify women’s voices and bring underrepresented stories from Pakistan to wider audiences.