KARACHI, Pakistan: “Song of Lahore”, a documentary by Oscar winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken on the acclaimed Sachal Studios and their journey across the world, has been selected for the World Documentary Feature Competition at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.
“Song of Lahore” is one of 12 international documentaries and the only Pakistani entry which has been selected for the prize and will be in contention for the following awards: Best Documentary Feature, Best New Documentary Director and Best Documentary Editing at the acclaimed film festival.
“Song of Lahore” is a documentary which focuses on the music community of Lahore, which until the late 1970s, was world-renowned for its music and talent. In 2004, Izzat Majeed founded Sachal Studios to create a space for traditional music in a nation that had rejected its musical roots. After convincing a number of master musicians to pick up their instruments again, they quietly released some classical and folk albums, but an experimental album fusing jazz and South Asian instruments brought Sachal Studios worldwide acclaim.
“Song of Lahore” turns the spotlight on Sachal Studios and charters the ensemble’s journey to reclaim and reinvigorate an art that has lost its space in Pakistan’s narrowing cultural sphere.
The twelve films of 2015’s World Documentary Competition represent the year’s highest achievements in nonfiction storytelling. The submitted entries showcase investigations of the most important issues of our time, as well as deeply personal real-life stories sure to open a wider perspective on the human condition.
The 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival will take place from April 15 – 26, 2015 at locations throughout downtown Manhattan.
