Pakistani filmmaker Samar Minallah Khan won Best Short Film for her film Out Swing at the 7th Sport Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
The victory was announced on Twitter, which was also shared by the filmmaker. “And the winner of the best SFFR short film is: OUTSWING,” read the announcement. Samar was praised for her hard work.
The documentary is set in the outskirts of Islamabad and features school girls shifting from prescribed cultural norms, challenging societal expectations and taking on new experiences.
“In cricket, an outswing delivery is one that ‘moves away’ from its line of bowling. It has the risk of being declared a wide-ball but it can also change the game. Just like an outswing delivery, the girls at Mashal School are ready to ‘move away’ from prescribed cultural norms, challenge societal expectations and take on new experiences,” reads the official statement on the website about the concept behind the film.
“As Akhtar Zeb invites the neighborhood girls to form a cricket team, each of them experiences the freedom and confidence that come from participating in sports, but they have to weigh the joy of playing against the expectations of their families. Deeply held cultural values bring conflict for the girls, and the burdens of their young lives threaten their ability to practice and play the game.”
Out Swing is described as more than just a game. It’s a match that changes many lives.
Samar Minallah Khan is an anthropologist and a documentary filmmaker from Pakistan. In the media, she has been referred to as ‘The Savior of Soul’, ‘Women who rock the world’, ‘The Crusader with the Camera’ and ‘Women that changed Pakistan’.
Her work has won several international awards including the Vanguard Award 2015, DVF Award 2015, Roberto Rossellini Award, Vital Voices Global Leadership Award, and Asia Society’s Perdita Huston Award.