Balochi short film bags coveted Bahrain award

Manama : A Balochi short film has bagged a prestigious award in Bahrain, making it the first-ever Balochi film to win an international award.

Jaawar (Balochi word meaning The Situation) won the first position in the Nasser bin Hamad Youth Creativity Award in here yesterday. The film won a gift prize of US$11,000 along with a trophy.

The prestigious award was launched by Supreme  Council for Youth & Sport Chairman, Bahrain Olympic  Committee President & Royal Charity  Organisation (RCO)  Chairman HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa in 2011 as an initiative to promote creativity among the Bahraini youth in various fields. After the strong turnout in the first year, entries were allowed from all GCC countries in 2012.

The award was presented by Shaikh Nasser at the ceremony on Khalifa Sports city in Isa Town. 

Jaawar is directed by Ahsan Shah, a Lyari-based independent film and documentary maker, and is produced by Nosach Films.

The film depicts the story of a paranoid and schizophrenic man from Lyari who always hears gun shots and blasts, and has locked his ageing father — who has lost a leg in the Jat Pat Market blast — in a room for his safety. When he goes out to bring food for his father, he sees men being killed and fires being shot everywhere around him.

“Jaawar is the story of the people of Lyari who have been psychologically devastated by the deadly gang war. The fighting has shaped their lives in a way that they now can’t get out of it even if they want to,” Ahsan Shah told Balochistan Times.

Lyari, the oldest town in Karachi, has for decades seen bloody infighting among gangsters and their regular duels with security forces. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in crossfire.

“We dedicate this award to the people of Lyari who have tremendously suffered and bravely survived in harsh and bloody times,” Jameel Kareem, a Bahrain-based member of Nosach Films, told BT. He received the award on behalf of Nosach Films.

“Jaawar’s success in an international contest has given Balochi cinema a new lease of life and a new ray of hope that we can compete and carry the day. It will have a deep impact on the art of filmmaking in Balochi in the near future,” said Jamal Baloch, Vice President of the Baloch Youth Committee of the Baloch Club in Bahrain.

It should be noted that the cast and crew of the film are from middle class families. They accomplished the feat with their own money and support and used an old Canon 600D and a broken tripod.

The award aims to encourage youth creativity and stimulate the participants to enhance their talents to world-class professional levels, to present unprecedented masterpieces that contribute to the development of their respective countries.

The award covers seven areas of youth creativity, including science, arts, movie production, photography, graphic and architectural designing. Balochi film won first prize in the film-making category.