After Guneet Monga and Kiran Rao, we have another South Asian woman blazing a pathway for the Oscars. Mariam Paracha’s film Glassworker or Sheesha Ghar has been selected as Pakistan’s official Oscar entry. As an ex-patriate from America where Paracha was born, the Karachi native has stepped into the extraordinary.
When we asked about why the studio chose a 2 D format in the age of digitization which makes the art of animation much easier, Paracha answered, “Technology may have advanced a lot but 2D gives it a classic look.”
When asked about what the Oscar committee found in the film which made it an outstanding choice for an entry, she feels “It was likely the classical appeal of the film.”
Set in the early 20th century around World War I, the film took a painstaking 10 years to make with so many artists. When asked about the selection process, we got a surprising answer.
“I was born in America and lived there for a few years but spent my formative years in Pakistan. I did my MFA from America at Emerson College in Boston. The unfortunate thing about art school is they don’t teach you how to be artistic. It’s something you end up having to hone on your own.
When we first started the project, we had to train so many artists from scratch because there wasn’t such a big industry.”
What kinds of artists were used if the animation industry was not so established? What was their background? Were they artists versed in painting? Or were they savvy techies?
“We didn’t look at anything really. We just focused on training the artists.”
But surely there must have had some criteria. Or was it based on a spark from some talented high school students with potential?
“Actually, many of the people we chose were straight out of high school.
But were they those who had won some kind of competition or were known for being artistic in some way?
“Not really. As long as we saw they had a basic eye for symmetry and some basic drawing skill, it was fine.”
But here lies the even greater marvel. These artists were working regulated hours from 9-5 for 10 years even though they were not skilled artists at the time of selection. There was no ambition for winning an Oscar when making the film. People were working for the joy of it. So much for the theory of productivity and long hours or the need for a nation to be competitive to succeed on an international platform.
Sharmin Obaid Chinoy has also previously won at the Oscars. So then how does it feel to be in this line of Oscar nominees? “I actually received a grant she started and worked with her for Sharmin’s Patakha Pictures.”
Indeed, one Oscar nominee has left a legacy for another to follow. How much more non-competitive does this get? Once again, after the Arshad Nadeem and Neeraj Chopra dynamic, we get to see once again it’s not about competition. It’s about cooperation and uplifting other people that helps people and nations thrive.
The film has enjoyed screenings across major North American cities including Boston and Toronto. “People are really loving the film wherever we have screened it.” We look forward to getting the chance to see this film soon too and wish Glassworker the best.
(A special thanks to Sapan or the South Asian Peace Action Network for making this interview possible. Visit www.southasiapeace.com to learn more about the social issues they work on by uniting people from different countries to work together. Or meet new people from other South Asian countries for knowledge exchanges in different disciplines).