Ammar Aziz Explained

Birth Name:Makhdoom Ammar Aziz
Ammar Aziz
Occupation:Filmmaker
Birth Place:Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Years Active:2007–present

Ammar Aziz is a Pakistani documentary filmmaker[1] [2] [3] and poet.[4] [5] [6] He's a recipient of the International Federation of Film Critics Award.[7] His debut feature-length film A Walnut Tree had its world premiere at IDFA[8] and North American premiere at Hot Docs.[9] The film won awards for the best film from Film SouthAsia,[10] Moscow International Documentary Film Festival,[11] Sole Luna Doc-Film Festival [12] and others. His Second feature film, Discount Workers, had world premiere at One World Film Festival[13] and opened a film festival in Kolkata [14]

He's a former left-wing activist.[15] In 2014, he started an online petition against Lawrence & Wishart for claiming the copyright to Marx/Engels Collected Works.[16] [17] [18] [19]

As a filmmaker, he was initially known for his work about the working class of Pakistan.[20] A graduate of Lahore's National College of Arts,[21] he was the only [22] [23] filmmaker from Pakistan to be selected in 2012 for the Talent Campus of the Berlin International Film Festival.[24] In 2022, he won the Berlinale Mastercard Enablement program [25] for his organisation SAMAAJ's work on Super Sohni,[26] an animated short series on child sexual abuse prevention in Pakistan.[27]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Reels of dissent: Pushing the celluloid envelope in Pakistan; DNA India. 2015-06-14. 2015-07-23. 2015-07-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20150713003917/http://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-reels-of-dissent-pushing-the-celluloid-envelope-in-pakistan-2095342. live.
  2. Web site: Young Pakistani filmmaker provokes audiences with Marx and 'Islamic punk' | Asia | DW.DE | 20.02.2012 . DW.DE . 2012-06-04 . 2012-05-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120505133414/http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,15752639,00.html . live .
  3. Web site: Khan . Sher . Rise of the Oppressed: The one to watch – The Express Tribune . Tribune.com.pk . 2012-02-03 . 2012-06-04 . 2012-02-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120205054106/http://tribune.com.pk/story/331393/rise-of-the-oppressed-the-one-to-watch/ . live .
  4. Web site: A poem for Mira Sen Dhaka Tribune. 13 July 2020. 22 July 2020. 22 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200722185243/https://www.dhakatribune.com/magazine/arts-letters/2020/07/13/a-poem-for-mira-sen. live.
  5. Web site: Three poems by Ammar Aziz. July 14, 2020. July 22, 2020. July 22, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200722074656/https://wildcourt.co.uk/new-work/three-poems-by-ammar-aziz/. live.
  6. Web site: MAKHDOOM AMMAR AZIZ | Poetry at Sangam . 2022-04-09 . 2021-04-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210414154655/http://poetry.sangamhouse.org/2020/09/makhdoom-ammar-aziz/ . live .
  7. Web site: Seeking a Home . 2018-03-09 . 2018-03-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180310010630/http://www.fipresci.org/festival-reports/2016/istanbul-doc/seeking-a-home . live .
  8. Web site: Interview: Ammar Aziz (A Walnut Tree) | IDFA . 2018-03-09 . 2018-03-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180310010719/https://www.idfa.nl/en/article/30559/2015-interview-ammar-aziz-over-a-walnut-tree . live .
  9. Web site: Walnut Tree - Hot Docs.
  10. Web site: A Walnut Tree wins top honour at Film South Asia . 2018-03-09 . 2018-03-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180310010530/https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine/instep-today/80183-a-walnut-tree-wins-top-honour-at-film-south-asia . live .
  11. Web site: I hope young filmmakers undo the NGO-isation of documentaries: A Walnut Tree director Ammar Aziz. 2016-06-18. 2018-03-09. 2018-03-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180310010445/https://images.dawn.com/news/1175628. live.
  12. Web site: Sole Luna Festival '15doc winners collection' continua, in programma il film "A Walnut Tree". 8 June 2020. 31 July 2020. 28 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200828103507/https://www.blogsicilia.it/palermo/538463/538463/. live.
  13. Web site: Film based on Baldia factory tragedy to be screened at One World Film Festival . 11 September 2020 . 9 April 2022 . 23 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230323013426/https://tribune.com.pk/story/2263554/film-based-on-baldia-factory-tragedy-to-be-screened-at-one-world-film-festival . live .
  14. News: Pakistani Film on Bereaved Mom's Fight for Justice to Kick off Festival | Kolkata News - Times of India . . 27 March 2022 . 2022-04-09 . 2022-04-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220409091437/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/pakistani-film-on-bereaved-moms-fight-for-justice-to-kick-off-festival/articleshow/90467306.cms . live .
  15. Thirty ideas from people under 30: The Change Agents - Ammar Aziz: Band member, filmmaker, and voice for Pakistani poor . Christian Science Monitor . CSMonitor.com . 2012-01-08 . 2012-06-04 . 2013-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131205092356/http://www.csmonitor.com/World/2012/0108/Thirty-ideas-from-people-under-30-The-Change-Agents/Ammar-Aziz-Band-member-filmmaker-and-voice-for-Pakistani-poor . live .
  16. Web site: Not Even Radical Communist Literature is Immune to Copyright Battles . 2 May 2014 . 2022-04-09 . 2023-02-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230212070912/https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgbgpq/not-even-radical-communist-literature-is-immune-to-copyright-battles . live .
  17. Web site: Lawrence & Wishart in Marx copyright row .
  18. Web site: Radicals fight over a Karl Marx copyright . . 29 April 2014 . 9 April 2022 . 12 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230212064311/https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-radicals-fight-over-a-karl-marx-copyright-20140429-story.html#axzz30PWRhD34 . live .
  19. News: Claiming a Copyright on Marx? How Uncomradely . The New York Times . May 2014 . Cohen . Noam . 2022-04-09 . 2022-04-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220409091237/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/01/arts/claiming-a-copyright-on-marx-how-uncomradely.html . live .
  20. Web site: Filming the struggle of working class - Newspaper - DAWN.COM. dawn.com. 2016-07-24. 2013-10-13. 2016-03-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043136/http://www.dawn.com/news/1049374/filming-the-struggle-of-working-class. live.
  21. Web site: Dailytimes | Your Right To Know . https://archive.today/20130810064437/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/print.asp?page=2011%5C01%5C28%5Cstory_28-1-2011_pg7_17 . dead . 2013-08-10 . dailytimes.com.pk . 2016-07-24 .
  22. Web site: Labour Education Foundation(LEF) Film "Rise of the Oppressed" selected for Talent Campus at Berlin International Film Festival . IFWEA . 2012-01-30 . 2012-06-04 . 2012-02-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120226205928/http://www.ifwea.org/?x103997=230031 . live .
  23. Web site: Juliette Binoche schwärmt vom Filmemachen. https://web.archive.org/web/20150404075451/http://www.derwesten.de/nachrichten/juliette-binoche-schwaermt-vom-filmemachen-id6342796.html. 2015-04-04. dead. de.
  24. Web site: Pak documentary nominated for Berlin film festival . The Nation . 2012-01-28 . 2012-06-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120315024501/http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/entertainment/28-Jan-2012/pak-documentary-nominated-for-berlin-film-festival . 2012-03-15 . live .
  25. Web site: Berlinale Talents - Mastercard Enablement Programme . 2022-04-09 . 2022-01-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220104165859/https://www.berlinale-talents.de/bt/page/c/mep . live .
  26. Web site: There's a new Pakistani superhero in town and she's fighting child sexual abuse . 16 December 2021 . 9 April 2022 . 27 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211227152441/https://images.dawn.com/news/1189043 . live .
  27. Web site: Animated series 'Super Sohni' to highlight child sexual abuse . 12 January 2022 . 9 April 2022 . 16 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220116230535/https://tribune.com.pk/story/2338359/animated-series-super-sohni-aims-to-shed-light-on-child-sexual-abuse . live .