{{Short description|Pakistani anthropologist, activist and filmmaker}} {{Use Pakistani English|date=December 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2013}} {{Infobox person | name = Samar Minallah | image = Samar Minallah photograph.jpg | caption = Samar Minallah Khan | birth_place = Peshawar, Pakistan | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1970}} | other_names = | education = University of Cambridge (MPhil) | occupation = Anthropologist, documentary filmmaker, and human rights activist | known_for = }} {{Contains special characters|Urdu}}
'''Samar Minallah Khan''' (<small>ALA-LC:</small> {{Transliteration|ur|ALA-LC|''S̱amar min Allāh''}} {{IPA|ur|ˈsəmər mɪn əlˈlɑːh|IPA}}) is a Pakistani anthropologist, activist, and documentary filmmaker.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hbr.org/2018/02/to-change-someones-mind-stop-talking-and-listen|title=To Change Someone's Mind, Stop Talking and Listen|first=Nilofer|last=Merchant|date=6 February 2018|via=hbr.org}}</ref><ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/business/on-leadership/on-leadership-pakistani-activist-and-documentarian-samar-minallah-khan/2012/10/10/d25a8c74-10a1-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9_video.html</ref> She is known for her work documenting cultural practices that affect women and children, particularly within Pashtun communities in Pakistan. Her films address topics including compensation marriage, honor crimes, and child marriage.
==Early life and education== Samar Minallah Khan was born in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan to Bilquis Nasrum Minallah, a social activist, and Nasrum Minallah, a civil servant who served as the Chief Secretary of Balochistan from October 1976 to July 1977.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine|title=Working ahead of the curve|first=Maheen|last=Aziz|website=www.thenews.com.pk}}</ref>
She received a degree in anthropology from Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad and an M.Phil. in anthropology from the University of Cambridge.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto5">{{Cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/972774/samar-minallah-khan-a-vital-voice|title=Samar Minallah Khan: a vital voice|first=Creative: Maryam|last=Rashid|date=18 October 2015|website=The Express Tribune}}</ref>
==Career== After starting her career as a journalist, Minallah transitioned to documentary filmmaking.<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto5"/>
In 2003, she released her first film, ''Swara – A Bridge over Troubled Waters''.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/135678/documentary-depicts-tortuous-life-of-swara-victim|title=Documentary depicts tortuous life of Swara victim|date=19 August 2003|website=DAWN.COM}}</ref> The documentary examined the tradition of ''swara'', or compensation marriage, where girls are given in marriage to settle disputes.<ref name="auto"/> The film was submitted as evidence in a 2004 Supreme Court of Pakistan case concerning the practice.<ref name="auto1"/> In the same year, the government of Pakistan criminalized ''swara'' through an amendment to the Pakistan Penal Code (Section 310-A).<ref name="auto5"/>
In 2005, Minallah released ''Dar-Pa-Dar: Where the Heart Lies'', a documentary about Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The film recorded the living conditions and personal accounts of displaced Afghans who had resided in Pakistan for decades.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/151071/documentary-portrays-plight-of-afghan-dps|title=Documentary portrays plight of Afghan DPs|date=6 August 2005|website=DAWN.COM}}</ref> In 2008, she produced ''Bajaur Gooloona: Homeless at Home'', which documented the circumstances of people displaced from the Bajaur Agency due to military operations against militants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/327992/touching-film-on-bajaur-homeless-screened|title=Touching film on Bajaur homeless screened|date=1 November 2008|website=DAWN.COM}}</ref>
In 2011, amid threats to girls’ schools by militants, she directed ''Allaho – A Lullaby for You My Daughter'', a Pashto/Dari music video featuring the famed singer Naghma to address the cultural preference for sons by celebrating the birth of daughters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/article/9393/allaho-a-lullaby-for-you-my-daughter-night-2|title=A lullaby for you, my daughter|first=Samar|last=Minallah|date=17 December 2011|website=The Express Tribune}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1244967|title='Creativity of rural women must be recognised'|first=Asma|last=Kundi|date=11 March 2016|website=DAWN.COM}}</ref> In the same year, Minallah released ''Kuch Khaab Hain Meray'' (I Have a Dream), a 35-minute documentary about child domestic workers. It documented the conditions of children in domestic labor and was used in advocacy campaigns for increased legal protections for underage workers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/2011/12/15/documentary-depicts-a-childs-dream/|title=Documentary depicts a child's dream |date=15 December 2011|website=DAWN.COM}}{{dead link|date=April 2026|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
Minallah's 2012 film ''Poles Apart: Chains Do Not Keep Marriages Together'' turned its focus to forced marriages in both Pakistan and the diaspora. Filmed in Punjab and among the Pakistani community in Norway, this 32-minute documentary followed several individuals who managed to escape involuntary marriages and rebuild their lives.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/450223/documentary-screening-there-is-a-way-out-of-forced-marriages-says-activist|title=Documentary screening: There is a way out of forced marriages says activist|date=11 October 2012|website=The Express Tribune}}</ref> Her 2012 film, ''The Dark Side of Migration'', examined the practice of "contract marriages" where Pakistani families, particularly in the Gujrat District district, arrange marriages for their daughters with citizens of European countries for financial or migratory benefits.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/922274/samar-minallah-premiers-the-dark-side-of-migration|title=Samar Minallah premiers `The Dark Side of Migration`|date=9 October 2009|website=DAWN.COM}}</ref>
She also produced ''Bibi Shireenay: Where Honor Comes From'', another music video that portrayed Pashtun men celebrating and supporting the women in their families as a means to redefine concepts of honor within the culture.<ref name="auto2"/>
In 2021, she released the documentary ''OutSwing'', which follows an all-girls cricket team in an Islamabad slum. Prize winnings from the film's festival circuit appearances were donated to the school attended by the girls featured in the documentary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://assembly.malala.org/stories/award-winning-filmmaker-samar-minallah-khan-on-documentaries-as-tools-for-social-change|title=Award-winning filmmaker Samar Minallah Khan on documentaries as tools for social change — Assembly | Malala Fund|date=3 May 2023|website=Assembly}}</ref> The film was named Best Film in the documentary-short competition at the Nordic International Film Festival and won Best Short Film at the 7th Sport Film Festival Rotterdam.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/859615/pakistani-filmmakers-out-swing-wins-big-at-rotterdam-film-festival-2021/|title=Pakistani filmmaker's 'Out Swing' wins big at Rotterdam Film Festival 2021|first=Sajid|last=Salamat|date=26 December 2021}}</ref> It also received the Humanitarian Award from the LifeArt Film Festival. At the 7th SOFIE Short Film Awards, it was recognized with awards for Best Documentary Short Film and Best Director (Documentary). Additional accolades included the SDGs Award at the Sapporo International Short Film Festival and Market, as well as both the Ron Kovic Peace Prize and the Eva Haller Women Transforming Media Award from the MY HERO International Film Festival. The film also received the Jury Prize for Empowerment at the UN Women USA Global Voices Film Festival, Best Documentary Film at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival, Best Short Documentary at the DESIblitz Film Fusion Festival, and Best Sports Film at the Toronto Women Film Festival.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web|url=https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/pakistans-filmmaker-samar-minallah-khan-empowering-females-through-inclusive-art-1.1655612681635|title=Pakistan's filmmaker Samar Minallah Khan: Empowering females through inclusive art|first=Mehr|last=Tarar|date=19 June 2022|website=Gulf News }}</ref>
==Advocacy and truck art== In addition to film, Minallah uses other media for advocacy. In the late 2010s, she initiated a truck art project in collaboration with Pakistan's Ministry of Human Rights. The project involved painting trucks with images and slogans promoting girls' education, serving as mobile information carriers in remote regions. One slogan used was "Mujhe sona chandi nahin, kitab aur qalam do" ("Don’t give me silver or gold, give me a book and pen").<ref name="auto4"/>
In 2019, Minallah launched the Truck Art ChildFinder campaign which involved replacing traditional decorative portraits on transport trucks with images of missing children and a helpline number. The campaign was credited with the recovery of several children and received two Silver and two Bronze Lions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, a Clio Award, a D&AD Wood Pencil, and the Grand Effie for Pakistan in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://clios.com/winners-gallery/details/|title=Berger Paints: Truck Art Childfinder - The Clios}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1143481|title=More wins for BBDO Pakistan|first=Zeenat|last=Chaudhary|date=4 July 2019|website=Aurora Magazine}}</ref> In 2021, Khan received a Commonwealth Innovation Award "for turning folk art into a vehicle for child-protection advocacy."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/901049-samar-minallah-s-truck-art-work-wins-commonwealth-honour|title=Samar Minallah's truck art work wins Commonwealth honour|date=17 October 2021|website=www.thenews.com.pk}}</ref>
In 2021, Minallah initiated the Truck Art for Girls’ Right to Play campaign to promote gender equality in sports. The project involved painting portraits of female athletes and related slogans on cargo trucks. It was shortlisted for the Sport for Equality prize at the Beyond Sport Global Awards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://beyondsport.org/2021/03/05/pakistans-truck-art-promotes-girls-right-to-play/|title=Pakistan's Truck Art Promotes Girls' Right to Play|first=Content|last=Importer|date=5 March 2021}}</ref>
==Personal life== Samar Minallah is married to a civil servant, and they have two children.<ref name="auto5"/>
==Awards and recognition== * 2010: Perdita Huston Human Rights Award<ref name="auto4"/> * 2010: Women Have Wings Courage Award<ref name="auto4"/> * 2012: Fern Holland Award from Vital Voices<ref name="auto3">https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/vital-voices-global-partnership-honors-female-leaders/2012/06/05/gJQAKmdyGV_story.html</ref> * 2015: Vital Voices Global Leadership Award<ref name="auto3"/> * 2021: Eva Haller Women Transforming Media Award<ref name="auto4"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.dawn.com/news/725174/pakistan-working-for-womens-empowerment-sherry Pakistan working for Women's empowerment] *[http://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/index.php?s=films_details&id_page=33&id_film=2122 Land of a Thousand Colors - Communities with Diverse Culture]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minallah, Samara}} Category:Living people Category:1964 births Category:Pakistani documentary filmmakers Samar Minallah Category:People from Haripur District