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Monday, February 27, 2012

Pakistan wins first ever Oscar

Pakistani documentary Saving Face produced by Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy has won the Oscar Award. It is the first time in Oscar s 84 years history that Pakistan has won the Oscar award. In her acceptance speech, Sharmeen dedicated the award to the women and those working for women rights in Pakistan. The Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy film follows British plastic surgeon Dr. Mohammad Jawad, who returns to his homeland to help victims of acid burns. The film follows one woman as she fights to see that the perpetrators of the crime are imprisoned for life. The documentary competed against “God Is the Bigger Elvis,” a Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson film about a mid-century starlet who chose the church over Hollywood; “The Barber of Birmingham,” a Gail Dolgin and Robin Fryday film that follows the life of 85-year-old barber James Armstrong and the legacy of the civil rights movement; James Spione’s war film “Incident in New Baghdad”; and “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom,” a film by Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen that follows survivors of Japan s 2011 earthquake and their struggle to recover from the wave that crushed their homes and lives. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is an internationally renowned Emmy and Oscar award winning Pakistani journalist and documentarian. She won Emmy for her documentary‚ Pakistan: Children of the Taliban in 2010. She is also the first non-American to win the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. She is the first Pakistani to win an Oscar for her documentary‚ Saving Face. Sharmeen was born in Karachi in 1978. She attended the Karachi Grammar School. She was the first woman in her family to receive a Western education. Sharmeen graduated from Smith College with a bachelor of arts in economics and government and then went to complete two master s degrees from Stanford University in International Policy Studies and Communication.Obaid's career in documentary filmmaking began when she examined the plight of Afghani refugee children in Pakistan for one of her articles. Their situation was so dire‚ and their stories so compelling‚ that Sharmeen decided to return to Pakistan and create a film about them. She petitioned Smith College and New York Times Television production division for the grants that would allow her to accomplish her goals. Intrigued by her story‚ both organizations gave her the funds as well as production equipment and training. She is currently a faculty member at media sciences department in SZABIST (Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and technology‚ Karachi). Known for documentaries dealing with life in the Muslim world‚ Sharmeen became the first non-American to win the Livingston Award. Her films have aired on such networks as Channel 4‚ CNN‚ PBS‚ and Al-Jazeera. She began her career with New York Times Television in 2002 where she produced Terror s Children‚ a film about Afghan refugee children‚ which won her the Overseas Press Club Award‚ the American Women and Radio and Television Award‚ and the South Asian Journalist Association Award. Since then‚ she has produced and reported on more than twelve films around the world. Sharmeen produced and reported on four multi-award winning documentary films for New York Times Television. In 2003‚ Reinventing the Taliban was awarded the Special Jury Award at the BANFF TV festival in Canada‚ the CINE Golden Eagle Award‚ the American Women in Radio and Television award‚ and the Livingston Award. In 2005‚ her film Women of the Holy Kingdom‚ which provided an inside look at the women s movement in Saudi Arabia‚ won the South Asian Journalist Association Award. In 2005‚ Obaid began working with Channel 4 in the United Kingdom reporting on four films for their Unreported World series. Pakistan s Double Game looked at sectarian violence in Pakistan‚ City of Guilt explored the Catholic Church s pro-life movement in the Philippines‚ The New Apartheid looked into growing xenophobia in South Africa‚ and Birth of a Nation delved into the politics of East Timor. In 2007‚ Obaid was named "journalist of the year" by the One World Media awards for her work in the series. In 2007‚ Sharmeen travelled to Afghanistan and reported for Channel 4 and CNN. Her film‚ Afghanistan Unveiled/Lifting the Veil‚ focuses on stalled reconstruction and the repression of women in the country. In 2010‚ she won an Emmy Award for her documentary‚ Pakistan: Children of the Taliban‚ which explores Taliban recruitment strategies‚ their effect on the youth and their methods to radicalize the country s young and often dejected populace.Children of the Taliban premiered FiLums (2011) - the largest film festival in Pakistan held annually at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. In 2012‚ Sharmeen became the first Pakistani to ever be nominated for and to have won an Oscar for her documentary Saving Face ‚ highlighting the plight of women in the Punjab province dealing with acid burns on faces that occur as a result of male domination.

Oscar 2012 turns up the star power for final rehearsal


Hollywood is set for its biggest night of the year Sunday, as two odes to film-making — silent movie “The Artist” and Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” — vie for Oscars glory at the 84th Academy Awards. After months of campaigning and a flurry of lesser prizes, Tinseltown’s annual awards season reaches its high point with the most prestigious honors of them all, the coveted golden statuettes. Hundreds of millions around the globe will tune in for the lavish festivities hosted once again by veteran Billy Crystal, after A-listers strut their stuff down the most-watched red carpet in the world. “Added excitement for #Oscars. One envelope will contain a live scorpion!”Crystal, who has done the job eight times before, joked in a Twitter message ahead of the greatest show in Hollywood. As usual, the annual march to Oscars coronation has not been without a few twists and surprises. British actor Sacha Baron Cohen, who turned in a subdued performance in “Hugo,” has ruffled feathers with his apparent plans to promote his upcoming film “The Dictator” in full faux strongman regalia on the red carpet, flustering the Academy’s top brass. The list of presenters is chock full of heavy-hitters — last year’s best actress and actor Natalie Portman and Colin Firth will join Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks, Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez among others. As for the awards themselves, Scorsese’s “Hugo,” a visually rich 3D tribute to a French film pioneer, goes into the show with the most nominations, at 11, with black-and-white Hollywood love letter “The Artist” just behind on 10. Scorsese is not the only legendary director in the mix — Woody Allen is in the running for best picture honors for his comeback hit “Midnight in Paris,”and Steven Spielberg will gun for the top prize with “War Horse.”Buddies George Clooney and Brad Pitt will duke it out for best actor, but “Artist” star Jean Dujardin, who has won critical and public acclaim for his role as a struggling silent-era movie star, could best them both. Pitt is up for his role as coach Billy Beane in baseball movie “Moneyball,” while Clooney has been hailed for playing against type in “The Descendants,” a family drama set in Hawaii that is also in the hunt for best picture glory. Mexico’s Demian Bichir is also on the best actor shortlist for his poignant turn as an undocumented immigrant in “A Better Life,” as is British veteran Gary Oldman for Cold War spy thriller “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.””The Artist” got a boost Saturday at the Spirit Awards honoring independent film, taking home prizes for best picture, best director for Michel Hazanavicius, best male lead actor for Dujardin and best cinematography.
Meryl Streep could take home her first Oscar in three decades for a powerful turn as former British premier Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady,”in a battle against cross-dressing Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs.”Rooney Mara, who plays damaged hacker Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is also in the running for the best actress prize, as is Michelle Williams for her take on Monroe in “My Week with Marilyn.”But Oscar watchers say they could all be beaten by Viola Davis, whose role as a black maid in “The Help” — set in Mississippi against the backdrop of the 1960s civil rights struggle — has earned her an outpouring of praise. Davis’ co-star Octavia Spencer is seen as a top contender in the best supporting actress category. Castmate Jessica Chastain is also nominated along with Berenice Bejo from “The Artist” and Melissa McCarthy for “Bridesmaids.”Janet McTeer rounds out the category with her gender-bending turn opposite Close in “Albert Nobbs.””The Help” is also among the nine movies nominated for best picture, along with “War Horse,” “The Artist,” “Moneyball,” “The Descendants,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Hugo” and powerful 9/11 film “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.”Also up for the top prize is Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life,” which won the coveted Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Supporting actor top tips are Christopher Plummer in “Beginners” and Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud.” Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn,” Jonah Hill in “Moneyball” and Nick Nolte in “Warrior” are also in the race. The easy foreign language frontrunner is Iran’s “A Separation,” which has already won a series of awards season prizes including a Spirit Award on Saturday. The Iranian film is up against Belgium’s “Bullhead,” “Footnote” (Israel), “In Darkness” (Poland) and “Monsieur Lazhar” (Canada).

Mandela, 93, leaves hospital after minor surgery


Spokesman Mac Maharaj says the 93-year-old Nobel peace laureate was released Sunday after undergoing a laparoscopy. During the procedure, surgeons make an incision in the belly to insert a thin, lighted tube to look at abdominal organs. Earlier in the day, South African President Jacob Zuma said "doctors have assured us that there is nothing to worry about" and that Mandela is in good health. Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for fighting racist white rule, became South Africa s first black president in 1994 and served one five-year term. He last appeared in public in July 2010.--AP

7 US troops wounded in protest against Quran burnings


The grenade was thrown into their base in the northern province of Kunduz, police said. "The demonstrators hurled a hand grenade at US special forces base in Imam Sahib city of Kunduz province -- as a result seven US special forces were wounded," Kunduz police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hussaini told AFP.

Bin Laden compound land to grow veggies


Osama bin Laden was killed in an operation at the compound in a covert US raid in May. The demolition, which began late Saturday, continued overnight and bulldozers were busy as dawn broke in Abbottabad s suburban Bilal Town neighbourhood. Witnesses said troops blocked access to the compound, brought in heavy machinery and barred journalists from taking pictures or coming close to the site. A foreign agency reporter however saw empty rooms, cupboards and a chair inside the house. The reporter said over half the compound s buildings had been demolished and four bulldozers were smashing the brick and concrete structures. Around 500 police were deployed, some of them manning an outer cordon while soldiers were positioned at the inner perimeter around the compound. "The demolition work by security forces, including troops, continued overnight," a police official on the spot told AFP, and officials said the work would continue during Sunday. "The structure is very strong as it is made of concrete and steel and that is why it is taking long to demolish it," a security official told AFP. The compound has been under the security forces  control since bin Laden was killed by US Navy SEALs in a covert helicopter operation without Islamabad s knowledge. The Americans buried him at sea, determined there be no grave that could act as a memorial to the mastermind of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. However, soon after bin Laden s death the compound attracted hundreds of visitors each day and at the time officials feared his final hiding place could become a shrine or a tourist spot unless the military destroyed it. But there has been no official comment on why the demolition is being carried out. Residents said they heard the noise of machines and thuds of debris throughout the night, and some perched on surrounding rooftops to watch the process. "We spent the entire night standing in the cold," a policeman told AFP as his colleagues lit a fire to warm themselves. Residents said a school should be built on the site as there were none in the neighbourhood, while a security official said it would be a "good idea to grow vegetables here". "It will take some time before the government takes any decision about the future use of the land on which the compound stood," the official said on condition of anonymity. "The provincial government had requested us to raze this compound as it might create problems for them in the future," the official said.