Pakistani filmmaker Shehzad Hameed Ahmad made the country proud again by bagging award at the Canada International Film Festival.
Hameed won the award for episode one 'Caught in the Crossfire' of his two-part documentary series Enemy Within. Caught in the Crossfire details history of the Afghan war and sacrifices of the people. Shehzad speaks to journalists who have been covering the war for years.
The show, Enemy Within is a series filmed from the front line of the war in Afghanistan.
Talking to Naya Daur, Shehzad revealed that Enemy Within was the most dangerous and difficult documentary he has ever filmed.
"Sneaking into Taliban-held areas in Ghazni, embedding with the Afghanistan Army on an anti-Taliban operation to de-mining a 250KG Russian made munition with the UN team, every day was a death defying mission," Shehzad said.
He further told that the opening scene encapsulates the nervous night that followed an ISIS bomb blast in a Shia dominated area inside a gym that killed dozens.
"It was 40 minutes from our hotel. We decided to reach the hospital first just in case there was a second explosion. As we covered the injured, there was a loud bang, and a second explosion occurred at the site of the first," he added.
The Pakistani filmmaker dedicated his award to Afghan journalist Samim Faramarz, who was killed in the second explosion while reporting.
Shehzad also shared his passion for film making saying that he would continue to visit places and tell stories that are untold.
In 2017, Hameed won the Silver Award in the Human Concerns Category 2017 at the New York Festivals for his documentary Kasur's Lost Children, based on Pakistan's biggest child sexual abuse scandal.
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Hameed won the award for episode one 'Caught in the Crossfire' of his two-part documentary series Enemy Within. Caught in the Crossfire details history of the Afghan war and sacrifices of the people. Shehzad speaks to journalists who have been covering the war for years.
The show, Enemy Within is a series filmed from the front line of the war in Afghanistan.
Talking to Naya Daur, Shehzad revealed that Enemy Within was the most dangerous and difficult documentary he has ever filmed.
"Sneaking into Taliban-held areas in Ghazni, embedding with the Afghanistan Army on an anti-Taliban operation to de-mining a 250KG Russian made munition with the UN team, every day was a death defying mission," Shehzad said.
He further told that the opening scene encapsulates the nervous night that followed an ISIS bomb blast in a Shia dominated area inside a gym that killed dozens.
Shehzad said he would continue to visit places and shares untold stories through his films.
"It was 40 minutes from our hotel. We decided to reach the hospital first just in case there was a second explosion. As we covered the injured, there was a loud bang, and a second explosion occurred at the site of the first," he added.
The Pakistani filmmaker dedicated his award to Afghan journalist Samim Faramarz, who was killed in the second explosion while reporting.
"In the second explosion, Afghan journalist Samim Faramarz died live on Tolo News, the station he was reporting for. I've dedicated this win to him and the brave Afghan journalists working in the war-torn country."
Shehzad also shared his passion for film making saying that he would continue to visit places and tell stories that are untold.
In 2017, Hameed won the Silver Award in the Human Concerns Category 2017 at the New York Festivals for his documentary Kasur's Lost Children, based on Pakistan's biggest child sexual abuse scandal.
Have something to say about the story? Write in the comments section below