Jawad Sharif

Jawad Sharif was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. He completed his degree in computer science before venturing into filmmaking. He started his career as a commercial television director and transitioned to documentary filmmaking in 2012.[8] He went to UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 2016 on a scholarship.[9]

He directed documentary film Beyond the Heights (2015) which is about a young Pakistani Mountaineer Samina Baig, who became the first ever Pakistani woman to scale Mount Everest at the age of 22.[10]

He is also the producer, cinematographer and editor of the award-winning feature documentary K2 and the Invisible Footmen (2015). The film is about the lives and efforts of Pakistani porters, who for decades have facilitated mountaineers from around the world to the ascent of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world. Sharif spent nearly a year-and-a-half editing the film. The film is dedicated to Amir Mehdi, the high-altitude porter who lost his toes to frostbite in the first ascent to K2 in 1954.[11] He won Best Cinematography and Best Sound and Editing Award at Jaipur International Film Festival, 2016.[12]

Sharif produced and direct Indus Blues in 2018. It is a feature documentary film that captures the plight of folk artists and their struggles to keep the fading art forms and the dying indigenous musical instruments alive. Sharif conceived the idea of the film when he came across a video clip in which some instruments were being burned. The film created waves in local and international media and initiated the much-needed debate about the radicalization of society in Pakistan. The film features 11 endangered musical instruments and their craftsmen from Pakistan. Artists in the film include Nighat Chaudhry, Saif Samejo of The Sketches, Mai Dhai and Arieb Azhar, a creative producer of the film. Sharif continued his efforts for the revival of folk musical instruments and support for musicians even after the release of the film by organizing screening events for policymakers and influencers.[13] Some of the artists featured in the film performed in the popular music television franchise Coke Studio in Pakistan. Indus Blues bagged several national and international awards and has successfully brought the artists and their instruments into the mainstream through its screenings around the world.[14]

Sharif is an advocate of free speech. He has talked several times in his interviews about the scope of independent documentary projects in Pakistan.[15][16][17]

In 2019, he founded his film production company Jawad Sharif Films. He has directed and produced the documentary film Natari (2021) which revolves around the issue of climate migration in the shrinking Kharo Chan Island in the Indus Delta.[18] The story of climate migrants in Natari gives hope as it raises awareness about their struggle for survival in the face of climate change and urge policymakers to step up efforts to save the stranded fishermen communities on Indus Delta.[19][20]

In 2021, he directed The Color of Smog (2021) which raises awareness about the issue of smog in Lahore. In the film, sixteen artists came together to exhibit and talk about their art inspired by smog. The film was preceded by an exhibition titled The Smog Show.[21] The Smog Show held at the Zahoor ul Akhlaq Gallery, National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore, explored the issue of smog in Lahore in the most creatively diverse ways.[22]

• Alumnus of Swedish Institute and Institut Fur Auslandsbeziehunge, Germany[23]
• Jury of the Jaipur Library Academy Awards, India[24]

• Balach, P. K. (3 January 2023). "Pakistani Film On Forced Conversions Wins Award At Cannes – Analysis". Eurasia Review.

• Official website
• Jawad Sharif at IMDb