off CR ols PAKISTAN| oD YU 4 5 or J fr evelopment yew We THROUGH Film Makin <—CaseStudies of IDSP’s “Youth for Peach through Film/Documentary Making” Course LearnersCR og i i J f=F\ De dul yours 05? ae THROUGH Film Making Director Dr. Quratulain Bakhteari quratulain @idsp.org.pk Author and Editor: ‘Saeed Shah Associate Director IDSP saeed.shah@idsp.org.pk Edited by: Faiz Ullah Phd Scholar & Community Development Consultant faiz_ksf@yahoo.comUTH PERLE. THROUGH Film Making wm ey y 4 \ SSH Subjects 01 Organizational Profile 02 About the Course 03 Course Details: 04 ast Quarter: 05 and Quarter 06 = 3rd. Quarter: 07th Quarter: 08 Uist of learners and their films" 09 Mr Ali Ahmed 10 Mc irfan Khan 11M Riyaz Ahmed (Faria) 12 Mr Naseer Ahmed Rind 13. Me Muhammad Hassan Adnani 14 Me Shakeel! Ahmed 15M Dilawar Khan 16 Mr Bilal Akmed 17 Mie ltaf Hussain Hazara 18 Mr-Zahid Khan 19 Mr lzhar ul Haq 20 Ms. amina Seher 21M. Nageeb Ullah 22 Mr. Dostain Ellahi 23 Mr Niamat Ullah 24 Ms. Maria Baloch 25 Mr. Rajaish Kumar Magani 26 MrHassan Raza 27 Mr Imran Khan Kakar 28 Mr. Ashraf Khan 29° ‘Mr. Shah Muhammad 30 Ms, Iram Jameel (Ayshline) 31 Mr Sharan Udasi 32 Mr Ayaz Aslam 33 Mr. Yasir Faiz 34 Mr. Mustafa Gulzari [> Page Ol _—_-br PEALE THROUGH Film Making Briefintro: Institute for Development Studies and Practices (IDSP-Pakistan) is a national level learning institute working in the field of human resource development since 1998, IDSP-Pakistan responds to the need of amalgamation of theory and practice to empower and develop cadres of young, excluded and vulnerable Pakistanis who have no space or formally certified credentials to explore their abilities for personal and professional growth and development. Since its inception in1998, the Institute has graduated more than 6000 motivated women and men across the country. Based on IDSP's 17 years of practices and studies, it is believed that in the current situation of the country, region and world we need to create a sustainable model of development and ensures developmental changes and growth in the lives and livelihoods of young women and men as citizens of ‘the country with dignity and justice. Mission: "To nurture and develop individuals and communities that will change the power structures by demystifying processes of Education and development and generate value based partnerships and practices at all levels” About the Course The objective of the course was to teach film-making to trainees who would return to their native communities to film and produce their documentaries for a series of film festivals and community seminars to foster dialogue and awareness regarding the issues and themes raised in the films. This was also intended to use film-making as the medium to deliver the message of tolerance, peace and harmony, and to raise awareness about the socialills present in their respective communities, with a view to rooting them out. The course was designed not only to impart skill-based training in film-making but also to empower them with soft skills that would allow them to unleash their creativity, in order to bt self-confidence in them. The opportunity to make it a livelihood option was more in the nature of a by-product rather than the central theme, The course was designed on the belief that "the power of visual media is very effective for creating a scale- able impact to resist, control and finally free our youth from hate and fear induced by vested interest prevailing across the entire region." ‘Taking a composite approach, course content covered the theory and conceptual part of film-making, as a residential course which ran in its entirety in Karachi in a hostel that was rented especially for the purpose.“ia Film Making IDSP entered into a collaborative arrangement with the Azad Film Company for the teaching of the course theory as well as practical work, and also acquired specialist resources for subjects like documentary making, editing and script writing. While the course design objective was to have a gender balance of 50-50, for reasons of the existing gender gap across the educational and professional landscape, this was not possible. The Institute extended the application deadline by a couple of months to allow the search to widen and sought out more women candidates, but was not able to reach the desired target. While gender balance was not achieved, there were still afew female learners which wasa first in a hitherto male dominated field. However, the objective of inclusion of different ethnicities, with learners from across tribal, sects, religious, linguistic and socio economic background was successfully achieved. The learners were drawn from far-flung areas of Baloc Course Details: This particular course was divided into four quarters, each quarter spread over 3 months. 1st Quarter: In the first quarter the selection of the learners was done and the course was initiated. The course addressed the conceptual and practical capabilities of the learners. In this phase a session on "good journalistic practices and ethics" was organized to enhance the journalistic capabilities of the learners. A standardized code of ethics/policy for films/ documentaries was developed and shared and was followed during the entire project. During the course all learners identified an issue or idea related to their native communities, based on the themes of peace, injustice, violence and violation of human rights, extremism, terrorism, crises of identity, tolerance and diversity. The learners develop scripts for their films and documentaries based on any or several of the aforementioned issues. Focus of the Faculty was on helping them in the conceptualization of powerful stories in which these themes could be reflected. The concepts and scripts were minutely vetted and critiqued by the IDSP's faculty. They analyzed the scripts, themes, topics and complete plans of filming and also assessed the risk factors for the learners in making them on these sensitive topics. 2nd Quarter: In this quarter the learners went back to their communities for making short films/documentaries to start shooting according to the approved scripts. Every learner was responsible for engaging at least five volunteers during shoot which was the field assignment. This was to initiate a spread of the knowledge gained by them to people from within their community, and also to develop film-making skills in them. These volunteers provided technical and logistic support to the learners in the field and in turn gained skills thathad been beyond their purview until now. AL times when they could nol draw resources frorn the community, the course mates assumed differentPEALE THROUGH Film Making roles and responsibilities for the completion of the films, including acting. This enabled them to explore their own latent talents, and choose a particular path in the broader field of film-making. The exposure to the various genre of films and documentaries opened up their vision to the range of topics they could tackle. There was a visible trickle-down effect of their efforts to engage their community members in their activities as each learner was able to provide exposure to the merits of film making at least 20 personsin their villages and towns. This in itself proved to be a great amplification for the medium of film-making for creative expression as well as to highlight the societal ills, problems and biases that are acting as divisive forces. This medium highlighted the ills, and also offered solutions. 3rd Quarter: In the third quarter, all of the learners returned to the IDSP campus to proceed with learning the other elements of film-making, including editing, and finalized their film projects. All of the learners edited and produced their films and documentaries at this stage. They were supported and guided by their teachers/ resource persons in the editing of their projects. Ath Quarter: In the fourth quarter and final quarter, all of the learners returned to their communities to launch their documentaries. They held 40 mini-film festivals in schools and other public places where the documentaries of all course members were screened to sensitize the communities on the issues of peace, tolerance, and the need to take on the prevalent social ills. More than 2000 people participated in these festivals. IDSP also organized a national level film festival at the Institute of Business Administration and the PAC (Pak American Cultural Center) auditorium in Karachi. Films of the learners were officially launched at public forums as an awareness-raising tool. More than 500 people participated in the festival for both daysof the festival. All of the learners have presented their own work in the festival, assessed by a committee of judges who awarded thebest films. After the launch, some of the best films/documentaries were picked up by national level TV channels including Sind TV and Vash News which are the most popular channels in Balochistan and Sindh province. These films have been uploaded on the Dailymotion channel (YouTube was banned in Pakistan at that time). Anumber of 1,165 people from various part of the world have seen these films. For details please click on the link: http://www.dailymotion.com/saeed-shahS ‘The formal graduation of the film-making course took place on 8th. March 2016 at the University of Balochistan where the learners were presented their certificates by the Vice Chancellor University of Balochistan Prof. Dr. Javeid Iqbal. It was a unique occasion because the learners, most of whom had been outside the pale of mainstream education, were being awarded their certificates at a prestigious university. Anumber of 400 people participated in this event.“ia Film Making List of Learners and their Films tm [5 poe Fim Name | Detals of Award in DSP Thematic focus Film Festival Karachi Bilal Ahmad Ishtaf Best Sound designing Tolerance Best short film, Direction, Peace and Unity 2 [Shakil Ahmad —Kangi Jactng, Editing and Jury (Choice Awards intizar Best Screen Pay, Sectarian Killing Bef Hazara waiting (inematography Award (Hazara Community Quetta) 4 |ahar UiHaq —[Mythofbeing lar Direction ruption 5 Dostain lahi Football laudience choice etrorism 6 FariqRivaz _Beebal Honor Kiting 7 [Naseer Ahmad _ [Aftab (Sun) Human Trafficking Shortfilm jg "Hassan Adnani Poverty Feudal system and usury Dilawar khan Bahnwar (Maelstrom) iolence and exploitation of youth 110 Zahid Shehad Artist Potential of youth {11 Nageeb Khan Swara Honor killing 112 [Samina Seher _|Gurya (Doll) Women rights 23 lAliAhmad —_[Dhuttuk etrorism ji \Umeed Best short fim under S Drugs H4 Mari Baloch (Hope) Iminutes of duration {5 [Namat Ullah Machis (Matchbox) lence 116 Hameed Khan [Awaragi (Vagarency) Exploitation of youth 17 iran khan____Pachtawa (regret) olence 18 Rajesh TThar Coal Exploitation ofocal resource 119 Vinod Viasat Umeede Seher Reasons of Thar droughts Hope) 20 ‘Sharan Udassi [Child Labor hil rights bt limran Khan ehfomite (Mining labor rights and justice ctor) Pocumentary/22 Ashraf Khan (Mera Hag ( My Right) [Child rights 23 [Shah Muhammad ga (Tribal Jury) Justice x Waal \Umeed e Seher Basic needs of survival Hope of a new dawn) 25 [Hassan Raza No Father First Best Documentary — Sectarian Kling 26 (Ayar Aslam Drugs Second Best DocumentaryDrugs 27 lirum Ayshline Bein peace [Third Best Documentary Religious harmony st c Peace and sectarian kiln otogaphy 28 [Mustafa Gulari [NTIS O” best Photoraper nad .PERLE TAROUGH Film Making MM i, Ah Ahined |i Ahmad is a passionate young man who is ready to pay any price in order to become a professional filmmaker. "I had to sell two of my goats to make the film and come to Karachi for the screening," he said. ‘Ahmed's father wanted him to go to Dubai to earn bread for the family but he insisted on pursuing his dream of becoming a filmmaker. He endured a lot of hardships to complete his secondary education owing to the poverty. His parents wished him to study engineering or medical but the financial circumstances were not favorable. Also, it was hard to find any job. Being a sensitive person in nature, Ali was deeply worried not only about his own future and the family but also the deteriorating law and order situation in the province. Luckily before Ali could decide to go to Dubai for any blue-collar job, he came across IDSP's advertisements regarding Filmmaking Course in a local newspaper. "In the heart of my heart | thought that this was the opportunity which could change my life and | was fortunate enough to have been selected", he emotionally told. However, his father did allow him initially because he was afraid that he might also make vulgar films like that of the Bollywood's. But he assured his father that he would never make animmodest film. Aliclaims that the Filmmaking Course completely transformed his perspectives on the life and society. He told that the theoretical sessions on peace, justice, harmony, tolerance, human rights, terrorism and crises of identity bolstered his intellectual capabilities and enabled him to understand the causes behind the current dilemmas such as poverty, ethnic and sectarian conflicts and political crises in the country. Moreover, he wondered that he never understood that how some powerful elites exploited common people socially and economically. He now believes that terrorism is one the most serious of the problems which need an immediate attention from the government and civil society." After attending the theoretical sessions, he selected a topic titled Dhutuk related to the effects of terrorism on the family of the victims. It was not an easy project because the topic was very sensitive in terms of security. In addition, the film-making was not considered an acceptable practice in the community. Nonetheless, Ali was determined enough to educate his community and use his skills in order. to complete this significant documentary. Also, thanks to his elder brother, who had worked as, an actor in the movies supported him a great deal. He engaged more than 30 people during the production of his film. He successfully completed his movie and along with other IDSP learners, he screened it in a number of communities to educate the people. His film enabled his family and the viewers to understand the drastic effects of terrorism on those families,THROUGH especially the children who lose their fathers in the terrorist attacks. One of the dialogues from his short film of 20 minutes says, "When a person dies in anact of terrorism, the entirely family dies with them" After joining IDSP, Ali feels that he is on the way to his destination. He has started a small production centre in Quetta. "I dream to make a film which is shown in the cinemas", he concluded. Page |08PERLE TAROUGH Film Making MO M:. Irfan Khan rfan was averse to violence from his childhood. "I hated when my cousins and friends mimicked the violent roles of the film stars of the Bollywood movies", he told. Psychological and many other researchers have found that exposure to media violence can desensitize people to violence in the real world and that, for some people, watching violence in the media becomes enjoyable and does not result in the anxious arousal that would be expected from seeing such imagery. ‘Some researchers have found that before the age of four, children are unable to distinguish between fact and fantasy and they may view violence as an ordinary occurrence. While movies usually promote violent heroism in which heroes knock down the ‘bad guys’ with automatic weapons. This implies the simplified justification of violence for a righteous and just cause. Consequently, young children may begin to see violence as an inevitable fact of life and gradually lose their ability to empathize with both the victimizer and the victim. Irfan was very keen to analyze and address the above-mentioned issue. One of his own friends has also suffered from the same issue. Some violent people has fueled Irfan’ friend to killa person asa revenge of avery petty issue ofhonour. Therefore, after the selection in the course, Irfan decided to work on thisissue. "I had the opportunity to highlight this issue with the lens of the camera because the knowledge and skills | gained in the theoretically rich modules enabled me to present this issue effectively", he emphasized. During the practical phase of the course, he has produced a short film entitled "Pachtawa" (repentance or regret in which he tried to discover whether the people of violence-torn Province of Balochistan really cared about this very sensitive issue. He said, that the course has not only enhanced his conceptual capabilities to understand and reflect on the issues of violence and its impacts on youth but also enhanced his skills to document his community's issues and share it with the rest of world for education and awareness. During his documentary screening across District Quetta, hundreds of people from different communities watched his movie and highly appreciated his efforts. Irfan is looking forward to sustaining his idea of making documentaries and films on issues related to violence. He is planning to open a production house where he will not only produce these kinds of films butalso engage youths from the province in order to train them in filmmaking.a(t rit “abi Film MakingPERLE TAROUGH Film Making ME Mr. Riyaz Abimed (Faricy) KUUAR225 250 Emehion aterncAare FAI ariq Riyaz belongs to District Mastung which is known as the hotbed of sectarian conflict in Balochistan. Fariq has left his formal education after completing his Intermediate due to his lack of ferest in education. Latter, he has decided to choose the film making as a profession as he was very much interested in this field. He started efforts to learn and practice the filmmaking with his friends which were already engaged with Pakistan Televisions Center on voluntary basis. He was very much concerned about the issue of honor killing in Balochistan. When he came to know about IDSP's course "Youth for Peace through Film Making" through anewspaper advertisement and he applied for it. Luckily, he got selected for the course and he enthusiastically and diligently attended all theoretical sessions of the course. During the practice phase, he produced a film entitled "Beebal" on the issue of Honour killing in Balochistan. Honour killing (locally called as "Karo Kari" is an act of murder, in which a personis killed as a result of adultery, love affairs or marriage, rape, refusal from an arranged marriage or rape. Often times, suspicion and accusations alone are enough to defile a family's honor and therefore enough to warrant the killing of the person, usually the woman. In patriarchal cultures of Balochistan in particular and Pakistan in general, women's lives are structured through a strict maintenance of an honor code. In order to preserve woman's chastity, women must abide by socially restrictive cultural practices pertaining to women's status and family, or honor, such as the practice of purdah (veil) and the segregation of sexes. Honor killings are frequently more complex than the stated excuses of the perpetrators. More often than not, the murder relates to inheritance problems, feud-settling, or to get rid of the wife, for instance in order to remarry. Human rights agencies in Pakistan have repeatedly emphasized that victims were often women wanting to marry of their own will. In such cases, the victims held properties that the male members of their families did not wish to lose if the woman chose to marry outside the family. Various reports say a total of 456 and 477 cases of honor killing were reported in Pakistan in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Once again, the greatest number of such cases were reported from Sindh. As per the federal law ministry's data, a total number of 456 cases of honor killing including 66 in Punjab, 315 in Sindh, 47 in K-P and 28 in Balochistan were reported in the year 2013. Similarly, 477 such cases including 80 cases in Punjab, 287 in Sindh, 78 in K-P. and 32 in Balochistan were reported in 2014. During shooting the film, Fariq has engaged a 30 people in his crew. Asa result, they got educated about the basics of filmmaking and currently contributing asa cast or crew with various films making groups. Fariq has screened his film in his native community and more than 300 people have participated in the screening. The principle of Law College Balochistan, Barrister Aman Ullah Achakzai was the chief guest in the screening ceremony. In his speech, he promised that he would seriously take the issue of honor with his students at the college and legal community in the Province. The participants from Raziq's community and the city appreciated and agreed that they must act to prevent honor killing. They also pledged that they would spread the message of the film in order to create awareness... Rayaz hasinitiated his own production house namely Skyline Media Arts . He is committed to raising the voice for rights of voiceless people in Balochistan by making documentaries and films. After the course, he has produced 2butH. Y PEALE THROUGH Film Making short films and 3 thematic songs over the theme of peace, tolerance, unity and oneness. His recent film on the life and struggle of Pakistan national hero Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah has won an amount of PKRs 400,000 as a reward from the Government.PERLE TAROUGH Film Making ME Mi. Nascer Ahmed Rind [S{WAs#51Y28 | EREECRAGESEA N aseer Ahmed is another brilliant graduate of IDSP- film course who despite having the essential technical and artistic qualities lacked a proper forum where he could he harness his potential to become a film-maker. For this purpose, he had left his ancestral village in District Mastung and had come to Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan to find some opportunities. He started volunteering in TV dramas at Pakistan Television Centre Quetta as assistant. However, the roles he played in there did suffice to flourish his professional skills. He was very much concerned about the issue of human trafficking from Pakistan to European countries via Iran and Turkey. Many of his friends have been affected by this crucial issue of rights. Some of his friends got arrested or killed while crossing the international borders and entering to other countries like Iran, Turkey, Syria etc. Sectarian violence, terrorism, and poverty are forcing thousands of Pakistanis to flee their country. Many of them go to Europe illegally via Iran, Turkey and Libya. There are travel agents in almost all major cities in Pakistan who take large amounts of money and send people abroad illegally. Every, year, thousands of Pakistanis trying to enter Iran illegally are caught by Iranian Border Security forces at Iran's border. After being tortured physically in concentration camps in Iran, they are deported back to Pakistan. Lots of people lose their lives during tortures by border security forces or due to thirst and hunger during the long pedestrian journeys. It is also said that sometimes they are deliberately drowned in the seas by the travel agents whom they had paid for taking these dangerous paths. After joining the course, Naseer selected the same idea and made an eye-opening film on this highly significant issue. His film Aftaab (the Sun) outstandingly highlights the issue of human tracking and illegal immigration. The film has been greatly appreciated by his communities, civil society, and the local government. Naseer is determined to establish his production house aimed at sustaining his efforts for the well-being of his people and society in Balochistan. He has purchased some necessary equipment for his production house but he also use IDSP Film making school's equipments on need base.Yeu 7 TyR0u Film MakingPERLE TAROUGH Film Making MO Mr. Muhammad Hassan Adnani Province of Balochistan. His district has a big threat of communicable diseases having hot and humid weather and a homeland for temporary immigrants from cold weather area of Balochistan in winter. Unhealthy life style and prevailing poverty, coupled with lack of awareness, have increased danger of epidemics. The monsoon floods of July 2010 were of unprecedented nature in the country. Thousands of people lost their lives, millions were dislocated. Public and private losses were estimated worth million of dollars. District Jaffarabad was one of the most affected districts in the province. I | assan Adnani is from Osta Muhammad in District Jaffarabad which is located in Southeast part of In the current situations, poverty is a curse and itis said to be the mother of crimes in the districts. Itis a fact that most of the crimes that occur are due to poverty. It is a multi-faceted phenomenon which encompasses economic, political and social deprivations of the people in the district and manifests itself ina vicious circle. Low savings and ultimate low investments result in low income, poor education, lack of health facilities, unequal distribution of wealth and poor infrastructure. often the poor population of the district helplessly takes loans with a percentage of “interest” from the landlords and rich people to manage the financial needs but the landlords and rich people exploit their miserable condition by charging heavy amounts from them in the form of usury. (Hassan said this) He added that private money lending business or taking interest on the money has destroyed hundreds of familiesin the district. Due to the poor financial background, Hassan has left his formal education after completing the Intermediate. He came to know about the IDSP's course of film making through a news paper advertisement. He has applied and got selected for IDSP's filmmaking course. After attending the theoretical phase, he decided to make a documentary on the exploitative practice of usuries in order to expose how it affected the lives of the poor. He engaged a group of young motivated individuals from his community and produced a film. The film was considerably appreciated by the communities and local organizations Hassan's film is of peculiar important because all the actors n his film were the locals who did not have any previous experience in acting. In this way, Hassan not only developed a film to create awareness about the most damaging issue of his city but also prepared a cohort of young local actors who are currently engagedin organizing community-based theaters on different social issues. Hassan and his counterparts are committed to making more movies on the key issues such as unemployment, social crimes, and gender disparity in the district.PERLE TAROUGH Film Making Mr.Shakeel Ahmed period due to the rising waves of violence and terrorism. Shakeel has grown-up among all these S hakil Ahmed belongs to Liyari of district Karachi. His native place Liyari, Karachi is facing crucial time insecurities and threats. He has completed his MA in English Literature from Karachi University The theoretical phase, of course has enhanced his intellectual capabilities to understand the entire situation and its socio, economic and political aspects through deep reflections and analyses, while the technical sessions of filmmaking his enhanced his skills of filmmaking. After attending the theoretical part of course he went back to his own community and produced a short film "Kangi” (Crow). In his film, he tried to educate people about the unity which is fundamental in countering the issues of peace. His film Kangi has won 5 different awards including “best short film award, best direction award, best actor award, best editing award and Jury Choice Awards. His efforts in producing the film have directed him to become a filmmaker. Therefore he has been appointed as an Assistant Director in “HUM TV” Karachi.PERLE TAROUGH Film Making WO Mr. Dilawar Khan D ilawar Khan lives in Dalbandin district of Balochistan. He belongs to a poor family. Therefore, he had discontinued his education after completing intermediate. To financially support his family he has started working in various private firms and shops. Khan was of the view that development opportunities and spaces were distributed on the basis of class in his district and Province and as a result, the poor were excluded from most of the initiatives. Further more, he says that that state and its institutions have failed to provide basic facilities of health, education, and transport to the citizens. Education isthe most importantissue to be raised because The current education does not meet the need of socio-economic realities including livelihood, local histories, and perspectives of people. Consequently, youths are affected the most because they have to. discontinue education as well as it is hard for them to find jobs. Khan loved filmmaking and he dreamed of becoming professional filmmaker so that he could highlight the pressing issues of youth with the eyes of the camera. It was almost impossible for him to achieve this end because there was not any single film-making institution in the province where he could study and learn film-making. Iwas too much disappointed and felt extremely helpless", he sadly told. He was really glad when he came to know about he IDSP's film-making course in Quetta, "It was a ray of hope that revealed to mein the bleak phase of my life. khan was concerned about his low qualification and family status but he was astonished when he was not asked much about his degrees, family status, and social class during the selection process. He mentioned that, "I could not believe what | experienced there". The panel just watched the videos | had produced in the past and asked about the clarity of vision and commitment to my life goals", he enthusiastically told. Dilawar Khan produced a short film entitled "Bahnwar (Maelstrom in the English language) on the issue which once negatively impacted his own life. After producing the film, he has launched it in his community by organizing a community-based festival. More than 200 people participated in the festival who were not only appreciated the film but also assured Khan of each possible support in his future endeavors." He has mentioned that "I have a dream to enable the youth by educating them in the same field andit will help them raise their voices against the injustices which affect their lives.”Page| 20PERLE TAROUGH Film Making WM: Bilal Ahmed B ilal Ahmad is another success story of IDSP' Film-making course. He comes from a poor family background which forced him to quit his education after completing his primary schooling. He started work a mobile repairing shop in the city in order to win bread and butter for his family. He repaired mobiles and downloaded songs and movies for his customers. The job did not, however, attract Bilal. He felt that not only was his job less-paid but also monotonous. "I ‘was thinking that | must find a better opportunity before it was too late in life. It would be useless to regret someday when nothing could be done", he said. Bilal was lucky for IDSP gave him the opportunity to do what he aspired for. When one of his friends told him to apply for IDSP's course, he could hardly believe that he would be selected without any degrees. "You are kidding me, | told my friends when he suggested me to apply", he asserted. Bilal was keen to highlight tribal conflicts after he was selected for the course. In the course, he learned how the power of camera could be effectively used to create awareness and spread the message widely. He made a short film on tolerance which he believed was rare in his community. His aim was to promote tolerance and peace amongthe tribals. Hundreds of people were shown his movie in several communities. His message of tolerance was applauded by many participants who also pledged to spread the message ahead. ‘After the course, Bilal thinks that course helped him broaden his thoughts in terms of diversity and plurality because he had the chance to interact with learners, faculty, and people from diverse backgrounds. Moreover, his intellectual ability increased. Most importantly, he developed technical of shooting, editing, and story writing which enable him to produce movies. He is determined to make film-making his profession which he loves the most. He was interested in highlighting the issues of tribal conflicts that affects his community particularly and overall tribe generally. After applying for the course he got selected by the panel. He went through the entire learning processes of course and produced a short film over the issue of tolerance that affects his community. Bilal knew the power of media and therefore he utilized it very efficiently to educate his community. He has organized a community festival and launched his film. More than 200 people have participatedin his community festival. Bilal added that "the course that I have gone through, has helped me to understand the diversity and interact with different people and communities. It has enhanced my intellectual capacity and technical skills that will help me to easily communicate my message to the rest of world. | am now self-sufficient and by using the skills of filmmaking, lam dignifiedly earning for my family too.PERLE TAROUG Film Making MEM: Altaf Hussain Hazara VAM 21YS8)ERSETERARREA Itaf Hussain lives in Meher Abad-a Hazara community in Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan. ‘The Hazaras are Shiite minority in the country. The majority of them have migrated from ‘Afghanistan and Iran and settled in Quetta over the last few decades. . The Hazaras have been the victim of sectarian violence since the 1990s after Taliban rose to power in Afghanistan. However, the persecution of Hazara community by the fundamentalist Sunni militants groups reached an unprecedented level after 9/11. According to different sources, over 4000 Hazaras have been killed and thousands of others have fled to other countries over the last two decades. The two largest Hazara namely Alamdar Road and Hazara Town have literally turned into ghettos surrounded by security forces. Yet in 2013, the terrorists breached the security and killed 180 and injured over 300 including women and children in two separate suicide attacks in the two communities. Altaf's father works in the chromite mines of Balochistan while his mother passed away in his childhood. Since he loved electronic media, he left his education after secondary education and joined a web-based local television channel as an intern in the field of camera and video production where he become a camera man. His aim was to highlight the issues of his community which are ignored by the state institutions and mainstream media. However, he could not sustain this job due to the lack of skills and low level of conceptual understanding about the issues. When IDSP announced the course of "Youth for Peace through Film Making", he applied and got selected by the selection panel. He was a hardworking learner and took keen interests in the theoretical sessions. He was particularly interested in understanding causes of conflicts and approaches to peace-building. . He told that the course enabled him to better engage with his community and mobilize them to tackle their challenges. During the practice phase, he has engaged more than 30 youth of his community and produced a film namely INTIZAAR (Wait), which captures the sad story of those children who are awaiting their fathers to come home, but sadly they do not know that their fathers will never return because they were killedin the sectarian violence. He screened his film in his community in which more than 200 people pat film was also screened in other non-Hazara communities. The participants were deeply moved by the sad stories of Hazara families and they pledged to show their solidarity with Hazaras in these days of distress and tortures. Altaf Hussain is now looking forward to establishing his own production house namely H- Production in which he will develop movies on different social and political issues.Mr.M.Zahid Khan discontinue his formal education after completing only middle education (8Th Class) ) due to the poor economic condition of his family. He had to work as a shepherd and tractor driver in order to financially support his family. Mi uhammad Zahid belongs to Tehseel Dasht of District Mastung Balochistan. He had to He never attended any training or capacity building program. He told that since his childhood, he was very interested in writing stories. "I always loved to pen down any incident that took place in our community", he said. . "Although | had written many stories, I had never thought to publish or promote them", he added. In fact, story-writing is not known to youths as a professional skill because there is not any subject on story writing in the mainstream education . "It was IDSP's Film-making course where | came to know story writing was a professional skill and it plays a central in the film-making", he concluded. T After applying for the course he went through the entire processes of course and got selected by the selection panel. He regularly attended the entire course including its theoretical and practical sessions. ‘After completing the theoretical session he has selected an idea concerning potentials of Youths and their exclusion unjust development initiatives and mainstream systems. He has engaged a number of more than 20 youth and produced a short film entitled "Artist". After producing the film, he organized a community-based festival for his film screening which was participated by over 100 people from his community. Mohammad Zahid is thrilled at the success of his movie and the skills he learned from the course. He said: the course has taught me another aspect of life and | have learned that media is a powerful tool for sharing our messages with the rest of world. It is an effective tool for exposing and countering the exploitation and injustices that are imposed on us by different power structures, After the course, he along with some other learners of the same course has initiated a production house and independently produce films and documentaries. His work not only fulfills his dreams to highlight his community's issues on the national and international levels but also provides a sustainable source of livelihood which is essential for his and his family's well-being.Page |26PEACE TAROUG Film Making Mr. Icha ul Hag zhar originally belongs to a middle-class family of Muslim Bagh. Due to his father's job in Quetta city, they shifted to Quetta and left their native area, He tells his story of joining IDSP as the following: When I came to know about the filmmaking course of IDSP, | felt this is a time to reach my destination by enhancing and utilizing my creative skills of filmmaking. The filmmaking has made me not only self-reliant but also helped me to build a my own identity as a professional film maker by utilizing my potentials. The course has helped me in founding a direction and setting the goals of life. Now I have a dream, to be recognized and remembered as a filmmaker. This course has helped me to become the voice of millions of deprived people in Balochistan and speak against the injustices and inequalities from local to global level. I have produced a film around the theme of "Corruption" as it is poisoning our people and society. Favoritism, nepotism, misappropriation of public fund, bad debts and misuse of power are on the rise. Corruption has gained roots in our society because of wrong decisions and weak policies of the successive governments. . The film was screened in a festival at the Government Law College. There were around 300 people who watched the documentary and appreciated my efforts. Besides these, this film has been screened in various school and colleges of Balochistan to educate youth against the corruption. The participants agreed that corruption is one of the main reasons for lots of social and economic problems in the country and they pledged to support me in the cause of eliminating corruption. Principle Law College was the Chief Guest during screening in Quetta. In his speech he has endorsed that the government must take tangible actions against the corruption. He also promised that he will personally endorse this in the training of fresh lawyers at "Law College Quetta’ which is the provincial teaching institute of Law. new lawyers to protect them from the corruption and promote acorruption-free environment across the province," Izhar added that "After the course, | want to join any professional film company where | can improve my skills more and also stabilize my economic condition’ia Film MakingPERLE TAROUGH Film Making MM Ms. Samina Scher S= Seher is a courageous girl of district Sibi, Balochistan. She not only supports her family financially but also represents her family on social and local forums, which is a rare example of girls’ leadership in her district. Since Samina belongs to a poor family and she could not continue regular education after doing the intermediate. She worked with different non-governmental organizations. Moreover, she studied privately and passed all subsequent exams asa private candidate. Though she worked and continued self-growth and development in different organizations, she was not satisfied with her role. She loved filmmaking but her professional roles did not allow her to realize her objective. Also, she lacked technical expertise of filmmaking. When IDSP announced Film-making course, she applied and qualified asa successful candidate. After attending the theoretical and practical sessions of the course, she made a documentary on violence against women namely Gudhya (Doll). The story of the film is about a woman who loved and trusted a man who in turn abused, exploited and finally abandoned her in the lurch. The woman is also socially boycotted by her family and she ends up in a shelter home. This story truly pictures the pathetic conditions of lots of women in the province who need immediate attention and support from the government and humanitarian organizations. She engaged over 20 young men and women from her community in the process of making this movie. After successfully completing the movie, she screened it five times on different platforms where hundreds of people watch it. Her film ignited a vigorous debate in her community and the city about violence against women in particular and human right in general. After the course, she resume her regular education by taking admission in the Master Degree program at Media and journalism department, University of Balochistan. Besides her regular studies, she also currently leads IDSP Film School and conducts film-making workshops across the province. She has so far conducted tens of workshopsat in different communities and well-known public institutions including the University of Balochistan, Sardar Bahdur khan Women's University and so on. To conclude, this course has been considerably productive for ‘Samina as she obtained the opportunity to fulfill her cherished desire to become a film-maker. More importantly, this course helped to highlight and polish a case study of women leadership in an area where girls and women still face a lot of challenges in getting an education and doing jobs. Samina will soon definitely be a role model to inspire hundreds of girls inher community and the city.PERLE TAROUG Film Making ME M.. Nageeb Ullah ageeb Ullah belongs to District Loralai of Balochistan. He was fond of movies from his children. Regarding his passion for movies, he told story of his child as the following: My parents were really strict and wanted to me to excel in studies. They strictly forbade me from wasting my time in games or other forms of entertainments. Nonetheless, | was extremely fond of watching movies. When | was in class six, my cousin and | stealthily watched movies in a net café in the city. My parents thought that went to the tuition. It was not aright thing to do but | was afraid that they might ban me going again f| told my parents. This is how since very early age, | was ready to take the risk for fulfilling my desire of watching movies and probably that the craze for watching movies led me to become a film- maker myself. This was a dream which might never have been fulfilled, had had I not come across IDSP in mylife. ‘The Naqib's interests in and passion for movies made him an exceptionally active learner. He was quick to grasp the technical concepts of film-making. He also conscious of social and political landscapes of his district and the province. He was particularly concerned about tribal exploitative customs. After the theoretical phase, he decided to make a movie on Swara, also known as Sak, Vani, and Sangchatti in different local traditions-which is a very exploitative custom of marriage which girls are forced to marry to the people from enemy tribes in order to settle the tribal feuds. This practice sometimes may bring feud toanend but at the cost of women's lives and rights who remain tortured throughout their lives. Naqeeb Ullah produced a very informative movie on this tribally sensitive issue. In the movie, he has tried to show the fact that how Sawara lated women's rights. He has shown the suffering of girls who are forced to marry into the enemy tribes where they are psychologically and physically tortured throughout their life. The key message of Nageeb's movie is clear and loud-that is humanity is the first and foremost. religion. Naqeeb organized a number of seminars in different communities to create awareness about the issue. He also organized a grand festival at district level which was participated by people from almost all walks of fe. The movie earned him a great deal of appreciation and encouragement from his community and other stakeholders. Naqeeb currently works as a volunteer with IDSP* school and helps the team to conduct filmmaking courses across the province. Moreover, He works part-time with Pakistan Television Quetta Balochistan in the production of TV plays. Naqib's family that opposed his involvement in filmmaking profession in the past, not only acknowledges his hard work but also appreciates him for choosing this useful career. Nageeb is very ambitious and he intends to establish his own production house someday. He wants to transfer his skills to young men and women from his community and city in order to create as many social activists as he can through filmmaking.THROUGH Film Making Page| 52PERLE TAROUG Film Making Mr. Destain Ellahi Baloch D stain Baloch isa young intellectual and activist who belongs to Karachi district of Province Sindh. Before joining the IDSP's course, he spent most of his time on study and volunteering with literary forums and humanitarian organizations. He took a keen interest in theater and artistic activities. Infact, he wanted to become film-maker but there was allack of opportunities despite the fact he lived in country's biggest city of Karachi which is considered the hub of artistic activities, More significantly, Dostian lives in the most volatile suburb in Karachi whichis known as the safe haven of gangsters and sectarian killers. He was fed up with the deteriorating law and order situation, the prevailing social injustice and ethnic and sectarian oppression and terrorism. He, therefore, joined the IDSP's course of filmmaking and produced a short film entitled "Football". Thisis a story of a layman who promised with his only son that, he will reward a football to his son if he comes firstin school's exam but unfortunately he gets killed in on a road side and his child left behind. His film was launched in Karachi and other parts of Pakistan which gained lots of appreciations and encouragements. The film also won the Audience Choice Award at IDSP's grand film festival. The course helped Dostain Ellahi to develop filmmaking skills and enhance intellectual capacity to better analyze issues related to peace, justice and harmony. He still collaborates with IDSP and Azad Film Foundation to create new opportunities for youths and develop links with donor and NGOs He is planning to initiate his own production house where he could continue his creations in order to contribute to peacemaki Karachi by creating mass awareness.PEACE TAROUG Film Making Mr. Niamat Ullah Ne Ullah is a very potential young man, who wanted to polish his film making skills and enhance his Jcompetencies for a bright future. He was very much concerned atout the gang wars in Karachi and other ig cities of Pakistan. He has the vision to peacefully work for ending the violence and gang wars in Pakistan. Due to the various criminal gangs, people's from one to another place is becoming icult. The Use of violence is becoming a common trend inall over the country. Ironically they kills humans on avery petty issues of honour, egoism and prejudice. Karachi-the capital of Province Sindh is the largest city in Pakistan and 7th largest in the world, It is the main seaport, commercial hub and financial center of Pakistan. Karachi has been in constant flux of migrants since the birth of Pakistan 1947. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims immigrants took abode in Karachi after the partition of india. Also, millions of people from within the country have moved to Karachi insearch of better economic opportunities. With a non-stop inflow of the people, Karachi became too crowded, too congested, and socially too complex for the authorities to maintain the standard of the city in terms of infrastructure, social services and stable law and order situation. Hundreds of thousands of people ended up in the slums devoid of basic facilities. Also, the city became the epicenter of political and economic tug of war between different ethnicities and religious sects. Consequently, Heinous crimes such as Target killing, extortion, robbery and smuggling became commonplace in the city. The youths are the most vulnerable to the growing. social erosion in the city. The media reports show that most of the target killers and criminals are young who are trapped and exploited by the gangs and sectarian and terrorist groups. Niamat wanted to demonstrate the situation of his community with the lens of the camera. He wanted to communicate the exact situation to the rest of world that, how their youth are committing violence and becoming in-tolerate to others. Normally the mainstream electronic and print media only captures the political angles of the situation while they ignore the behavioral, psychological and social angles which are badly impacting the new generations. Therefore he has joined IDSP's course, learned the skills of filmmaking and produceda film titled "Machis" (matchbox) on the factual situation of his community. His film has raised good awareness against the gang wars and politics of difference on the basis of class, race, authority and power in Karachi and other cities of Pakistan. Niamat is committed to sustaining his idea and contributing to the process of peacemaking by portraying the situation and raising awareness among youth and communities.PERLE TAROUGH Film Making MMM Ms. Maria Baloch Mi aria Baloch basically belongs to district Bolan but she currently lives in Quetta with her family. She is an optimistic young girl who wants to be successful in her life. In her short experience of life, she has gone through various tragedies including tribal animosity of her family and life lose of her family members in bomb blasts at Quetta. This situation has affected her life on one hand, helped her in building emotional stability on the other. She was interested in highlighting the issues of human rights and particularly the rights to employment. Unemployment is one of the biggest problems faced by her community in particular and the province in general. The chief sources of employment have been livestock and agriculture which have declined over the last two decades, because frequent droughts, shortage of water and lack of energy resources. ‘After joining 1DSP's course of filmmaking, she has temporarily stopped her formal education by taking leaves from her education institute, She did not want to lose the opportunity of becoming a filmmaker. She joyfully said " it was her dream to become a filmmaker and work for her own community." Maria enthusiastically participated in all theoretical session of course. During the practice phase, she produceda short film "Umeed" (Hope) over the issue of unemployment and basic citizen's rights. Having no. She engaged more than 15 youth in the production of her film., she was launched in Quetta city where people have greatly appreciated her efforts Maria is extremely satisfied with skills and knowledge she gained from the course. "Ihave learned how todocument and share my community'sissues with the rest of world, Now, Ican make a documentary ora short film even by using my mobile phone", she optimistically told. The story of Maria is an example that shows, how the voiceless or less privileged people of our society can raise their voice by using modern media techniques.PERLE TAROUGH Film Making ME Mr. Hameed Khan E very Individual desires to fill his life with the beautiful colors of happiness and successes, Young populations is the strength of a society, engaging them in the socio-political and economic process and giving them a stake in their country's future is an essential factor in carrying out successful democratic change In Pakistan, youth comes under social pressure to earn for their family as soon as they complete their education but is hard to find a dignified employment because poor planning, unjust policies, corruption, favoritism, and low job and employment which in turn lead the young population to alienation and frustration. Thus they become easy preys of the criminals and terrorists to misguide and exploit them. Hameed could hardly complete his bachelor degree in Arts before he had to search for ajob to support his family. He was disappointed at the discontinuation of his university education. He was further dismayed by the lack of job opportunities. Reflecting on his difficulties, he sadly, "It was the darkest time ever for me as because | could not study and | was job tool". He was really furious about the exclusionary systems. "The systems shattered my hopes to pieces", he concluded. Hameed, however, did not lose his heart and he wanted to do something about this problem. IDSP's filmmaking course provided him this opportunity as he was able to not only develop essential skills but also produce an informative movie to highlight the issue. His film namely Awargi (Idleness or waywardness) shows the adverse effects of idle and wayward life which result from the lack of employment and learning and job opportunities. He organized a festival in his community where he screened his movie to 200 participants. With the help of this course, Hameed not only found the opportunity to work on a significant issue but also gained important skills that will enable him to find a dignified job. . He wants to develop ping his own production house where he can train more youth in the field of filmmaking. He is committed to his struggle of fighting against the exclusionary and exploitative system. "I may not change or abolish the exploitative power structures the country , but | will definitely expose their cruel faces to the society", he confidently concluded.at i THROUGHPERLE TAROUGH Film Making MMM Mz Rojaish Kumar Magani KU AB26YS2 GBS) ajaish Kumar comes from a small town called Mittiin the desert of Thar Parkar. Rajish worked asa reporter with various newspapers and channels but he was not authorized to document and telecast a report on what was going on his district. istrict Tharparkar is home to about 1.5, ion people, a majority of whom are indigenous Menghwar, Kolhi and Bheel communities. They are poor people, depending mainly on rain-harvesting and livestock-rearing. . The area is prone to frequent droughts which sometimes result in lingering famines. Since 2013, hundreds of children have died because of hunger on account of the drought in the region. The government continues to ignore the region as it remains isolated and does not get in the limelight of media and even humanitarian organizations. Menghwar, Kolhi, and Bheel, though sizeable communities, they are oppressed for two reasons. First, on the basis of religion as they are a Hindu majority in the Province. Second, on the basis of caste, they belong, to the Dalit Class, which is the lowest social class in Hindu religion. In some areas, they are considered as untouchables. After exploration of Coal in the area, the desolate region of Thar had been opened to the Multi-National Corporations by initiating mega developmental projects. The centuries-old barter system of trade is being replaced with the cash transactions. The constructions of power- houses, airports, highways and rail network are taking place on a large scale while the land is being exploitatively evacuated from the indigenous communities. At one hand the indigenous communities are being displaced and the other hand power projects are being initiated by using under ground coal that will negatively impact the environment and will increase the marginalization. In the current scenario of Pakistan, itis difficult to speak against the disadvantages of the mega projects because due the influence of state. The mainstream mediais totally silent on these aspects of the projects due to their nexus with the said corporations. However, Rajish was very much concerned about the extraction of resources by MNCs without engaging local population in the projects. When he came to know about IDSP's course, he saw a hope in the opportunity. He knew that he would be able to work freedom for his communities. “It was the best chance to work in collaboration with my community without any restrictions", said Rajaish. Therefore, he applied for the IDSP's course of Film/Documentary making and got qualified in the process. After attending the theoretical sessions of the course, he went back to his own community and conducted a research for his documentary. Later on, he initiated the shooting of his documentary film by engaging 15 more youth from his community. Asa result, he made titled Thar Coal, which shows how the people of the his community and district are excluded of the projects and their lands have been grabbed.2UTH PEALE THROUGH Film Making The documentary film was launched in the local community and also through a national TV channel called Sindh TV. The documentary has gained very much popularity among the civil society which is being ‘mobilized to fight for the rights of indigenous population in Thar. Rajaish has made an identity of active social activist in his community and he is now committed to fight for his community and for their fundamental human rights. Moreover, he is planning to open a production where he will continue creating more films as well as engaging youths in activism for their rights. IDSP has fledged him all possible support and hopefully Rajaish will succeed in his struggle for the rights and well- being of his community.PERLE TAROUGH Film Making MO Mr. Hassan Raza r. Hassan Raza was another young learner from Meherabad Hazara community in Quetta. He has complete intermediate studies. Like most of Hazaras, he has also been subject to ethnic and sectarian hatred and discrimination. He has lost quite 2 few friends and relatives in the sectarian violence. Because of tension, fear and unemployment owing to discriminatory treatment of the community, the youths in the community are prone to using drugs. Many youngsters who lost their relatives and became psychic patients or started using drugs because of psychological pressure. Hassan Raza also lives in extreme fear. He is worried about the safety of his family and community. But he also wanted to work with the youths of his community what he believed to be the only way protect the future of his community. Filmmaking and photography were his dreams through what he was intending to highlight the hidden, isolated and ignored issues of sectarian violence and terrorism in his community. He always wanted to join a proper institution for learning filmmaking as a profession but he could not find such an opportunity or space realize his dream...IDSP's filmmaking course "Youth for Peace through Film Making” was a golden chance for him to try his potential and luck. So he applied for the course and got selected. He worked really hard in theoretical sessions and tried his best to utilize the resources available tohim. For the practice assignment, he chose to work on the psychological effects of sectarian violence and terrorism on the children and youths of his community. In his documentary "No Father’, he has captured the sorrowful lives of those young boys who have lost the loved ones in sectarian violence. Their school teachers tell that those boys usually talk about the tragic killing of their parents or brothers. They are unable to rehabilitate psychologically. They can focus on their studies properly. Hassan engaged more than 15 people/youth during the production of this documentary., He did the editing of the documentary at IDSP lab in Karachi and then returned to his community to launch his documentary. The screening festival of his documentary was participated by more than 200 people from his community. This documentary help raises awareness about the psychological effects of violence on children. The parents and communities pledged that they would take special care of affected children. They also suggested consulting psychologists and therapists for them. Afterward, a group was formed to meet government officials and ask for trauma center ora mental hospital for the community. His film was screened at IDSP's Grand Festival in Karachi Karachi and won the First Film Award. Hassan has joined the National College of Arts Lahore (NCA) for advanced learning and graduation degree in filmmaking.Film Making Mr. Imran Khan Kakar mran Khan Kakar belongs to a middle-class Kakar family from Muslim Bagh, District Killa Saifullah. Due to business ventures and some tribal conflicts, his family temporarily shifted to Karachi. Though, Imran took a keen interest in his studies, he had to discontinue his formal education because of financial responsibilities from his early age. Also, he ran a small scale business of mobile phones which helped meet his family financial needs. Imran believes that practical experience is essential for youths from the very early age. He emphatically said, "The experience that life has taught me, no institute could ever teachme". Further, he said, "though | had left my formal education. | always dreamed to become a filmmaker because | wanted to inform the entire world about injustices and violations of human rights which is continued in my native community at Muslim Bagh. "In my view, every human being has natural creative potential but only a few of them find relevant spaces and opportunities to polish these abilities and build identity by using their own potentials", he added. "IDSP's filmmaking course was a precious opportunity for me to learn the skills of filmmaking and present my thoughts by using it as a means of communication" he concluded. Imran Khan's native place "Muslim Bagh" is endowed with huge reserves of chromite. Chromite is rich in chromium which is of great commercial value and used as an alloying element in metallurgy. Chromite mining has not been systematic but random and totally disorganized due to the traditional method of digging and taking the chromite out. It is mined by both open pit and underground methods. Use of donkeys for hauling the ore from underground is still in practice. On average, 300 to 500 tons of chromite are produced at Muslim Bagh and Khanozai on daily basis. The chromite is taken in trucks to Karact where itis polished to be exported mainly to China. The status of health and safety of mines workers is very critical. Laborers work are working in hazardous conditions without any safety and health care facilities,Moreover, they have the problem of transportation and mobility. Imran conducted a thorough research on the mines, conditions of .eworkers and their rights and then produced a documentary film on the pathetic conditions of mineworkers in the area... For his documentary, hee interviewed the mine-workers, the head of the labor department and the Chairman of Labor Union of Balochistan. ‘When he was working on his documentary, he was strongly opposed by mine owners and contractors. They did not want the exploitation of the workers to be exposed, But Imran's commitment and professional skills were the keys to successfully finalize the documentary and share it stakeholders for creating awareness.THROUGH Film Making He screened his movie at the festival in Quetta City. The participants for diverse background including government officials, social activists, journalist common people watched the documentary. They re shocked by the terrible and abusive conditions of the mine workers. The participants ask journalists and government representative to take up this issue seriously. Imran is active social activists these days. His Facebook page "No" for highlighting social-economicissues is followed by hundreds of activists and youths. He is hopeful that his hard work will bring fruit soon as theres an increasing pressure on the mine-owners to treat workers fairly. If this activism is sustained, itis likely to mobilize public opinion which will lead to a pressure on public representatives legislate for the protection of rights of mine workerPERLE TAROUGH Film Making —_ Mr. Ashraf Khan part of his face still has a scar of acid burns, but 18-year-old Ashraf has beaming eyes full of dreams and some of these dreams have already begun tocome true. Ashraf was only seven years old when his tiny world turned upside-down after his face was fatally burnt withacid. He told his storyas the following: 'It was the month of Ramazan and | was seven years old. We put slabs of wood on the wall as makeshift. cupboards and one of them carried a bottle of acid. ! was sleeping on the floor, close to the cupboard. It was dark as the light had gone out. My mother came to pick something from the cupboards and her hand mistakenly hit the bottle of the acid which fell on my face and burnt me badly", he sighed. "My bad days started. | was a garbage picker and hardly earned PKRs200 (2 US Dollar) day which | spent on his treatment. I needed two injection a day. My face used to bleed and | would smell of pus. People could not sit with me and have food. | had nine siblings and my father was too old and sick to work and provide for their basic needs of food and clothes. | had terribly lost all hopes of healthy and dignified life again. When he said that he had lost all hopes of a better life again, he broke in teas. Life of Ashraf, however, started to change after Institute for Development Studies and Practices (IDSP)-Pakistan took the responsibility to care for his treatment, food and residence. He was taken to Karachi where he was treated at Indus Hospital. He also started work at IDSP's office as a learner and office assistant. Thanks to IDSP that Ashraf, who was fatally burn, had never been to school and could not speak Urdu even, has found not only fresh hopes of better life himself butalso for his brothers and sisters, whomhe provides financial support. Since Ashraf showed great interest in photography and filming, he was encouraged to apply for the course. He attended all theoretical sessions and worked really hard to keep pace with rest of the learners. Because he had experienced the life of garbage picker at the age of seven and he knew how children suffered from labor. So he decided to make a movie on the rights of children which are picking the garbage titled Mera Haq (My right). He wants more and more people to see his film so that people understand what garbage pickers go through and what they contribute to the society. Ashrafiis gained necessary skills and confident and in his production and directorial debut he also dabbled alittle bit of acting too. He engaged a group of more than 20 people during his film production and screening on the field. Ashraf has also become conscious of women's right. He has broken his childhood engagement which was forcefully imposed by the elders on Ashraf and his fiancee. Both of them are now happy in their independent live: Ashraf now works as a Camera Assistant at Azad Films in Karachi which is an internationally-known film production company. Ashraf is committed to the mission of eradicating child labor from Quetta after he isFilm Making trained enough andis able to teach and mentor young children specially garbage pickers. He believes that amature mentoring and support are the key to education and career building, as he said, "If did nothave any support and mentoring at IDSP, probably | would a drug user lying on the street somewhere today" IDSPalso extends each kind of possible support to Ashraf in his professional learning so that he becomes a role model for hundreds of thousands of children who work as child laborers and do not see any hope in their wretched livesFilm Making Bachelor's Degree from the University of Balochistan in Mass Communication. After that, he ‘workeding witha TV channel asa reporterin his district. He had never attended any formal t on documentary-making, reports-writing or presentation. However, he had continued practicing photography, making videos, and writing reports on his own. S hah Muhammad isa young man and belongs to District Loralai of Balochistan. He has completed his Media, being considered the fourth pillar of the state, is vital for social, economic and political accountability and transparency. It is an effective tool and must enjoy freedom to highlight what the public think of and say about their government, systems and rulers, But unfortunately, media in Pakistan is neither free, nor isit working for public interests. Like everywhere, mainstream media in Pakistan too, is predominantly occupied by corporate sector and rich politicians. . In the case of Shah Muhammad, he was primarily concerned about his community's issues such as tribal conflicts, time wasting and slow system of judicially, violence against women, etc which affect the life of people but he could not highlight those issue because his channel was not interested. Therefore, Shah Muhammad was disappointed and he left his job. When IDSP advertised the course, he applied in order to to learn film and documentary making and use it as means for the betterment of his community and district. ‘After attending the theoretical phase of the course, Shah decided to make a documentary on Jirga which is traditional system of conflict resolution across Pakistan and Afghanistan The bright side of the Jirga is that people have access to quick and inexpensive justice, whereas modern legal justice system in Pakistan, is expensive and time-consuming. The judicial system has failed in providing free and speedy justice tothe citizens. At the other hand, the Jirga system has been an effective system particularly in tribal areas in resolving major issues such as murder, theft, rape, land disputes, etc. However, it is important to note that Jirga is not free from problems. Jirga is also sometimes employed by feudal lords and religious authorities for very ominous purposes. Itis highly discriminatory towards women. Women are not allowed to be part of the Jirga even if the Jirga is decided an issue related to women. Moreover, Jirga often gives verdicts in violation of women's basic rights such as consent to marriage, divorce and soon. Shah Muhammad has highlighted all the positive and negative aspects of Jirga in his documentary and he wants reform not only Jirga which is a traditional system but also exerts pressure on the Judicial system of the country to be made cheap, efficient and accessible by common citizens. The district administration and tribal leaders considerably appreciate Shah Muhammad's effort for highlighting such a vital issue of the society. In collaboration with IDSP learners and local organization, Shah Muhammad is recently engaged in conducting weekly workshops in different districts of Balochistan for the education and mobilization of} THROUGH Film Making youth. Also, he is busy in finding donors and sources for initiating a production house which can be used as a forum of learning and movie-making for the youths to work for the better of the society. Page |50PERLE TAROUG Film Making Ms. [ram Jameel (Ayshline) KUAS#2iY&i8) FaNeaSNGHANsIEIBSE) |) Iram Jameel is a committed girl and passionate filmmaker who belongs to the Christian community in District Quetta, Balochistan. Being a Christian, she has closely observed and experienced issues of disharmony and discrimination. She was worried about the deteriorating interfaith peace and wanted to take an initiative. Her basic aim is to promote diversity in Balochistan where people of different beliefs can live together in peace and exercise basic human rights such as the right to of life, rights to religion, right to worship, freedom of speech and so on. . She believes that all faiths share the common the teachings of love, justice, mercy and compassion that can be used to promote intra and inter-religious harmony. This was, however, a challenging task especially in a country like Pakistan where interfaith violence has been prevalent for decades. Iram Jameel did not have resources and tools to spread the message of love and promote diversity and interreligious harmony. She was also afraid of reaction from the fundamentalist segments of the society who are extremely inimical to interfaith activists. Nonetheless when she learnt about IDSP's filmmaking course, she decided to benefit from this opportunity. Despite the reservations of her family, she did not back from her determination to work on this challenging issue. ‘She was convinced that filmmaking was the most useful to tool to spread the message of love and peace. she applied for IDSP's course of filmmaking and got selected for it. After attending the theoretical sessions, she has backed to her native community and produced a documentary film entitled "Interfaith Harmony" in Balochistan and Sindh province of Pakistan. It was challenging in the current circumstances of Pakistan to intervene in such a risky topic but she has bravely completed it. She applied for the course and worked out her plan accordingly. After successful completion of theoretical sessions, she started to make a documentary on interfaith harmony in two very volatile provinces including Balochistan and Sindh. Her task was not easy in many ways. She worked on a very sensitive issue that could riskher life. Furthermore, mobility and work are hard for women because of cultural barriers. Finally, she had to travel across two provinces. Iram, however, overcame all these hurdles and not only successfully completed her project but her documentary was finalized for the Third Best Award at IDSP Grand Festival in Karachi. After the course, she resumed her studies to her Master Degree at the University of Balochistan. She is determined to continue her interfaith struggle by making interfaith forums at her university and community in order to engage students in interfaith dialogue.PERLE TAROUGH Film Making WE M: Sharan Udasi S haran Udasi belongs to the Hindu community of district Nushki, Balochistan. After completing his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Balochistan he has served as teachers at different private schoolsin Nushkicity. Sharan has been sensitive soul since his children. He particularly remained worried about child labor in his hometown. . He said, "Even though | did not know about the legal, social, economic and moral aspects of child labor at that time, |, however, always sympathized with the children who had to work on shops and hotels instead of going to schools. He also did not appreciate when children played in unhygienic environment. Nevertheless, he had never thought to systematically work on the issue of child labor and child rights. He was able to articulate his thoughts and make a vision of it after he was selected by IDSP for the filmmaking course. With the guidance and support of faculty, Sharan initiated his project on highlighting child labor in his district. He studied literature on child labor. United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) defines “child” as anyone under the age of 18, and "child Labor" as some type of work performed by children below the age of 18. He learnt that child labor was detrimental to the mental, moral, psychological and physical health of the children. According to The Global Slavery Index 2013, Pakistan comes third, after Mauritania and Haiti, in the prevalence of child labor while the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates in a 2012 survey that 12.5 million children in Pakistan are involved in child labor, and according to ILO (2014) , there are 264,000 Pakistani children who are involved in domestic child. The National Policy on the Home-Based Workers report that there are 8.52 million home- based workers are in the country. In Balochistan, children generally work as garbage collectors, carpenters, cleaners in transport companies, hotels, at automobile workshops, and soon. After that Sharan went to his district to document case studies of child labor. He produced a documentary, with the help of 20 volunteers from his city. . His documentary was screened across Balochistan which was appreciated for its thematic relevance and educative role. Sharan is determined to sustain and extend his crusade against child labor. His primary ideas include the formation of volunteer support groups who could conduct awareness sessions and teach out-of-school children. He will then make a network of these support groups that will work all over the province. IDSP willcontinue its support to provide him with essential technical support and link him with donors and like- minded organizations.err PEACE. Film MakingPERLE TAROUGH Film Making MO Mr. Ayaz Aslam A= Aslam is a committed young man from Turbat city, District Kech Balochistan. He worked as news reporter with alocal news channe.l. He loved his job because not only it was his passion but also1a source of income for his family. However, he knew that the job would not last for long, for he lacked formal technical and professional skills. Thus he started looking for opportunities to improve essential skills. He strongly believed that once he was skilled, with the help of the media, he would be able to create awareness about the deteriorating law and order situation, drugs business and social crimes in his city. This is how when he learnt about IDSP's filmmaking course, he applied without any hesitation and gotselected, Ayaz Aslam attended all theoretical sessions of the course. He decided to work on creating awareness about drug soas reduce drug use and business in the city. By focusing on the issue of drug's trading Ayaz Aslam has produced a documentary film and promoted actions against the drug mafia. Though it was very tough to appose these Mafias but the district ‘Administration has supported him in achiving his goals. The District Administration was invited to the film screening. After watching the film, the District Police Officer ordered a crackdown on the drug dens and tried to eliminate the vice from the area. Itis important to note kept in mind that this town bordered with Afghanistan and Iran which allows smugglers to conveniently smuggle drugs across the borders. The District Deputy Commissioner wenta step further by reactivating the rehabilitation center in District Civil Hospital. The District health department has agreed and initiated their services for rehabilitation of the drug addicted people with the support of District Administration and Police Department. ‘Ayaz Aslam has constructed a strong identity as a professional filmmaker in Turbat, district Kech. He is committed to sustaining his work for protection and promotion of human rightsin Turbat, District Kech.Page|56PERLE TAROUGH Film Making WO Mz. Yasir Faiz sir Faizis basically from Balochistan but currently lives with family in Karachi. After completing the graduation, he has left his formal education and initiated his employment with local photo shops, news magazine firms. Although he was living in Karachi but he was very much concerned about his native province village in Tehsil Dasht, District Mastung in Balochistan which is suffering from drought and water insufficiency. His parental side's relatives are living in avery difficult situation in the same village. Balochistan is an arid region with occasional rainfall and it has a history of droughts... Drought originates from a deficiency of precipitation over an extended period of time, usually a season or more. This deficiency results in a water shortage for some livelihood activity to a community group, or environmental sector. Eighty percent of the province's population lives in rural areas and depends on agriculture and cattle farming. The dry spell that has persisted since 2013. Geographical areas where people mostly depends upon agriculture or livestock are the mostly effected. Tehsil is one of those areas where people were depending upon these two trades mainly. Thousands of families from the worst hit areas have migrated to other districts because of the drought. The situation in some areas is really grave as there has been a shortage of food. . It is also getting increasingly hard to find green fodder for the livestock and dry animal feed. Moreover, several viral diseases are reported from time time. His concerns lead him to learn filmmaking and raise voice for the basic need of water. After selection in the course, he participated in the entire theoretical sessions and went to his native place Dasht, Balochistan and initiated his documentary film focus the theme of water as abasic right of the citizens. . He mobilized and engaged over 20 people from his village t in the production of the documentary. He intends to open an independent production house where he will make documentaries on social issues.PERLE TAROUG Film Making MO Mz. Vinod Kumar Vilasai Ve Kumar Vilasai_ come from Naukot, a small town in Tharparkar. Tharparkar desert in Province Sindh is the largest desert of Pakistan and the eighteenth largest in the world with an area of 22,000 square lometers. The population of Tharparkar is 1.5 million and this is the only district in the country where Hindus are in majority. According to 1998 National Census, over 50% population of the district are Hindus (0.8 million) with 0.6 million the lower class Dalit Hindus. Tharparkar is dry zone and has been facing a severe drought since 2010. The crisis in the district touched alarming heights after it was learnt that 139 children had died of hunger and malnutrition. The livestock which was the main source of income had started perishing. Consequently, thousands of families had already left the area. This extremely alarming situation was temporarily treated as breaking news in mainstream media and soon the wretched population was forgotten by the authorities. This negligence on the part of responsible authorities and his country fellowmen had convinced Venod that nobody was going to help the starving communities in his district but he has to do something for his people. Venod has completed my Master degree which he is not satisfied with. He parents wanted him to do a professional degree which could get him a dignified job. Venod, however, was not convinced and he wanted to do something unusual. What attracted him the most since childhood has been movies. “Watching movie has always been my favourite hobby and to make movies has become my life dream", said Manoj. His family, nevertheless, did not agree and his father did not allow him to pursue a career which was not common in their area. Venod resisted and decided to follow his heart what might happen. Buthe had to wait for a long time before he could find the opportunity to realise his dreams. ‘When Venod came to know about his IDSP's filmmaking course, he saw foresaw dual advantages in this opportunity. First, he could pursue his dream of becoming a professional filmmaker. Second and more significantly, he could communicate with the country and rest of the world about the heart-wrenching circumstances prevailing inhis district. So without any second thought, he applied and got selected for the course. Happy with the given opportunity and concerned for his people, after the theoretical phase, Venod started to film the pathetic situation of the people in his district. His documentary film namely Umeed (Hope) shows what difficult people particularly children face in the district because of lack of food, water and medicine. Vinod through his documentary film on the Thar drought entitled "Umeed e Seher" (called Hope of A Bright Morning/Future in the English language) has highlighted the hidden and ignored factors of the drought andits impacts on people.2UTH PEALE THROUGH Film Making He has launched his film in Hyderabad, where people from Government, Political parties, NGOs, Civil society, educational institutions and other fields of life have watched the realities about the Thar Drought. Many of the participants have initiated activism to support people in Tharparkar who suffers from the drought. Vinod is committedly sustaining his ideas and he is continuously organizing film festivals and community theater programs along with a group of volunteers for youth in different districts of Province Sindh. He is. willing to initiate a production house and a Theater program that will serve in communities for educating people and promoting awareness. Page|60Film Making grown up in a very difficult situation due to the poor economic background of his family. Due to loneliness from the parental side, he could not pay his attention to education. He therefore mostly socially and financially relied on his friends and other relatives. Due to the sectarian terrorism in Quetta, he has lost many friends and relatives in last one and half decades. Thousands of Hazara men, women, and children have lost their lives in Quetta during recent years. The overall scenario has badly impacted the economic, political and social life of the people on one hand while on the other hand, it has, very diverse psychological impacts on children and women, Unfortunately, the mainstream media does not pay proper attention to exploringand document the hidden storiesand the impacts of sectarianismin Hazara community. Mi ustafa Gulzari is another passionate youngster from Hazara community of Quetta. He has Since childhood, he is very much interested in photography. Though he did not attend any formal educational institution he was struggling to learn through continued practices. The IDSP's course "Youth for Peace through Film Making" was the only opportunity for him, to avail in order to achieve what he dreamed. After selection in IDSP's course, he attended all of the theoretical sessions, whilein practice phase he started highlighting the issues of peace, justice, and harmony through his photography. The course has enhanced his professional capabilities and skills f photography. He isnow known locally and nationally for his beautiful photography. The Express Tribune, a national newspaper published an article entitled "Hoping for peace: Call of a dreamer from the valley of love" on 25 June 2015. The article discusses the grave issues of Hazara community particularly sectarian discrimination and Gulzari's efforts to spread the message of love through is photographs. Besides highlighting the issues of peace, justice, and harmony, through his creative skills of photography he also tries to promote the the beauty, richness, diversity and togetherness of the community. Gulzari won the best art of photography award in a film festival organized by the Institute for Development Studies and Practices in Karachi. Gulzari now works as freelancer photographer. For viewing his photography please visit his Facebook page: https://www-facebook.com/Mustafa-gulzari- 523637394348780/photos.CORRESPONDENCE, Institute for Development Studies & Practices (IDSP - Pakistan) 7-A.Al-Mashrig Street, Arbab Karam Khan Road, Quetta. Email:idsp@'dsp.org pk. info@idsp.org pk Ph: 0092-81-2470243 - 2471776 Fax: 0092-81-2447285 ‘Trust for Development Studies & Practices (TDSP - Pakistan) House No.56-R Mahmood Ghznavi Road, 56-R, Block-2, PEC. | Karachi, Pakistan Emal:idsp@idsp org pk. info@idsp.org pk Ph: 0092-21-34549009