"Zali has previously won a number of international nods"
Despite widespread societal and political issues, Pakistan’s young and bright minds never fail to make the nation proud. The latest talent to join the ranks is 24-year-old filmmaker, Shahnawaz Zali.
Shahnawaz, who is a Northwestern University Qatar graduate, has been featured as the one to watch out for in the Entertainment and Sports category of Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 list.
He is joined by notable performers like Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, British singer Lorde and Margot Robbie of Suicide Squad fame amongst a host of other talented artists and athletes.
Budding filmmaker and cinematographer, Zali, has previously won a number of international nods. His documentary, 100 Steps – Sau Qadam, was nominated for Best Film at the 43rd Student Academy Awards.
The film revolves around the life of a boy who gets embroiled into the world of suicide bombings. It also won various accolades at the Miami International Film Festival Qatar Media Awards and others.
The Entertainment and Sports category within the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list has been judged by a diverse group of famed artists. Namely CNN International correspondent Mallika Kapur, Asian singer Yuna, heavyweight boxer Sonny Bill Williams and two-time Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
Sharmeen had earlier shared her enthusiasm for Zali’s work when his film secured the Student Academy Award nomination in 2015.
In an interview with the Pakistani press, Shahnawaz shared his high ambitions and has his goal to delve into various realms of filmmaking:
“Personalities such as Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, Bilal Lashari, Shaan, Humayun Saeed, Jami, Nasir Khan have built and nurtured this amazing platform for us and I want to work towards contributing to it; I’m aiming to work on feature films, commercials and television next,” he said.
“I also plan on opening a production house soon that will always have its doors open to anyone who wishes to discuss ideas, scripts or their work.”
Here is wishing him all the more success in the future!
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