STORYTELLING THAT CATALYZES
SOCIAL CHANGE
Empowering communities through film, education, and critical thinking.
ABOUT US
The Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy Foundation, established in 2026, builds on nearly two decades of work at the intersection of storytelling, advocacy, and community engagement in Pakistan.
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Since 2011, this work has been developed through SOC Films, where storytelling has been used not only to document lived realities, but to shape public discourse and contribute to meaningful social change. Over time, what began as a documentary practice has evolved into a wider ecosystem of initiatives spanning film, education, artist development, and cultural exchange.
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Across these years, the work has grown both in scale and depth supporting emerging filmmakers through mentorship and funding programmes such as Patakha Pictures, establishing platforms like Neela Asmaan for international artistic exchange, and developing outreach and educational initiatives that engage directly with communities across Pakistan. Alongside critically acclaimed films that have contributed to legislative reform and national conversations, these efforts have expanded the role of storytelling beyond the screen.
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Today, this collective body of work represents a portfolio as significant as the film practice it emerged from. The creation of the Foundation marks a natural next step: bringing these interconnected initiatives under a dedicated, nonprofit platform. As a Section 42 organization, the Foundation is designed to strengthen long-term impact through greater coherence, deeper collaboration, and an enhanced ability to scale.
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OUR APPROACH
Our work is rooted in the belief that storytelling can be a powerful catalyst for change.
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We operate at the intersection of storytelling, advocacy, and grassroots engagement creating work that not only raises awareness but also reaches communities directly and contributes to tangible outcomes. From documentary films and animated storytelling to artist residencies and community-based education programmes, our initiatives are designed to engage audiences across multiple levels.
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A central focus of our work is engagement with women at the grassroots level expanding access to creative tools, building skills, and creating platforms for expression and visibility. Through this work, storytelling becomes not just a medium, but a means of participation and empowerment.
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Collaboration is integral to our approach. We work with local and international partners, cultural practitioners, educators, and institutions to build platforms that support emerging voices and strengthen the broader cultural ecosystem. At the same time, we are committed to building institutional capacity developing programmes that enable individuals and organizations to sustain and grow their work over time.
WHY THIS
MATTERS NOW
At a time when access to information, creative opportunity, and cultural platforms remains uneven, the need for inclusive, community-driven initiatives is more urgent than ever.
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Across Pakistan, there is a growing generation seeking tools for expression, learning, and participation, while many communities remain underserved by traditional systems of media, education, and cultural infrastructure.
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The Foundation responds to this moment by expanding access bringing stories, skills, and opportunities directly into communities, while also building pathways for local voices to engage with global platforms.
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Rooted in Pakistan and connected to the world, our work contributes to a more informed, creative, and equitable cultural landscape.
SHARMEEN
OBAID-CHINOY
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is an Academy Award–winning filmmaker whose work focuses on amplifying underrepresented voices and driving social change through storytelling.
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Over the past two decades, her documentaries have examined issues ranging from gender inequality to access to justice, often contributing to public discourse and legislative reform in Pakistan. Alongside her work in film, she has played a key role in building platforms and institutions that support storytelling, education, and creative practice, with a strong focus on working with women at the grassroots level to expand access, visibility, and opportunity.
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She is the founder of the Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy Foundation, which brings together her work in film, education, and community engagement under a unified platform. Through initiatives such as Patakha Pictures and Neela Asmaan, she has supported emerging artists, fostered cross-cultural exchange, and contributed to the development of a more connected and sustainable creative ecosystem.
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Working across film, education, and advocacy, she continues to focus on building institutions that enable new voices to emerge while advancing conversations that shape public awareness and long-term cultural and social change.
OUR PROGRAMS
PATAKHA PICTURES
Patakha Pictures is a mentorship and funding initiative that supports emerging women filmmakers from across Pakistan in developing and producing short documentaries. To date, it has supported over 70 fellows nationwide, whose films have been selected by more than 70 international festivals and have received over 25 awards.
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Through a structured programme that pairs participants with established local and international mentors, the initiative nurtures the next generation of storytellers enabling them to create films that explore themes of women’s empowerment, arts and culture, and climate change, while expanding representation behind the camera.
NEELA ASMAAN
Neela Asmaan is an international, multidisciplinary artist residency located in the Shigar Valley in northern Pakistan. It offers mid-career and established artists a space for focused practice, where the landscape enables reflection, experimentation, and the development of new work.
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Designed to foster meaningful exchange, the residency brings together artists across disciplines while building connections between local and global creative communities. It also facilitates international exchanges, expanding opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue and artistic collaboration.
OUTREACH, EDUCATION
& STORYTELLING
Our outreach, education, and storytelling work is grounded in the belief that storytelling can bridge gaps in awareness, access, and opportunity particularly for communities that remain underserved by traditional systems of media and education.
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We create short documentaries, animated films, and digital content as tools for engagement designed not only to inform, but to spark
dialogue, challenge perceptions, and make complex social issues accessible to wider audiences. These films are developed with a clear purpose: to translate critical conversations into formats that can travel beyond formal spaces and reach people where they are. Through our mobile cinema, this content is taken directly into communities across Pakistan, creating shared spaces for viewing, discussion, and reflection. Over the past decade, this work has reached more than 100,000 people, many of whom have limited access to mainstream media or cultural platforms. Alongside this, we design and implement school and college programmes that introduce young people to storytelling as both a creative and critical tool. These programmes focus on building foundational skills in media literacy, digital storytelling, and creative expression encouraging students to engage with the world around them while developing their own voices. Our broader educational initiatives extend this work further, with a focus on expanding access to creative and digital skills, particularly for young people and women at the grassroots level. Programmes such as Siyani Saheliyan have trained school-going girls in Sindh in photography, videography, graphic design, and animation equipping them with practical tools for creative expression and future learning opportunities. Building on this work, we are currently piloting an AI-powered English learning application in a government school in Karachi, designed to support foundational learning through adaptive, technology-enabled tools. Together, these initiatives reflect a broader commitment: not only to tell stories, but to ensure they are understood, shared, and used as a means of participation, learning, and change.
