Afia Nathaniel
Encyclopedia
Afia Nathaniel is an independent Pakistani filmmaker who works primarily as a writer, director, producer and editor. She is a graduate of the Film Division at the Columbia University School of the Arts
Columbia University School of the Arts
The Columbia University School of the Arts , also known simply as the School of the Arts or as SoA, is the division of the university that offers Master of Fine Arts degrees in Film, Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, and Writing, as well as a Master of Arts degree in Film Studies...

 (2006).

Early life

Afia Nathaniel was born in Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...

, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. She is the eldest of three girls. Her father was in the Armed Forces and her mother a professor of English. Afia was brought up and educated in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

.

Education

Afia did her Senior Cambridge
Senior Cambridge
The Senior Cambridge examinations were General Certificate of Education examinations held in Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Jamaica. They were preceded by the Junior Cambridge and Preliminary Cambridge examinations.-India:...

 from Convent of Jesus and Mary
Convent of Jesus and Mary
The Convent of Jesus and Mary, Delhi, India, often known by the acronym CJM, is a prestigious all girls' day school in Delhi, India. Established in 1919, it is one of a network of Convents of Jesus and Mary in India, Pakistan, and the UK.-History:...

, Lahore. She then attended Kinnaird College
Kinnaird College
Kinnaird College for Women is a college in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is partially semi- government institute recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.-Early history:...

 from 1991–1994, graduating with a B.Sc. degree. She majored in Mathematics with a minor in Physics. In college, Afia participated actively in debating forums, poetry competitions and dramatics. She was elected the President of Science Club by the students at Kinnaird. Afia was awarded the prestigious Mangat Rai Gold Medal in 1994 in recognition of her outstanding academic record and extracurricular achievements.

In August 1994, Afia joined Lahore University of Management Sciences
Lahore University of Management Sciences
The Lahore University of Management Sciences, usually referred to by its acronym LUMS, is a university located in Lahore, Pakistan. LUMS was established in 1984 by a group of industrialists and people belonging to Pakistan's leading private and public sector corporations, to provide rigorous...

 (LUMS) to pursue a B.Sc. in Computer Science. She graduated from LUMS in 1997.

In 2001, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 offered Afia Nathaniel a two year Dean’s fellowship to come and join their MFA Film programme. Afia won several accolades for her short films which spurred the growth of New Wave of Pakistani independent cinema.

Early career

In the absence of any film schools in Pakistan, Afia Nathaniel, joined Publicis
Publicis
Publicis Groupe is a French multinational advertising and communications company, headquartered in Paris, France. It is one of the world's three largest advertising holding companies . Its current president is Maurice Lévy. Publicis Groupe S.A...

 Pakistan (formerly Headstart) and began a career in advertising soon after graduating from LUMS. She was quickly promoted to head the Creative Department at Publicis Pakistan.

In 1999, Afia left Pakistan to work with the World YWCA
World YWCA
The World YWCA is the umbrella organization of the global network of the YWCA, a movement of women working for social and economic change around the world. It advocates for young women’s leadership, peace, justice, human rights and sustainable development, both on a grassroots and global scale...

, an international women’s non-profit organisation based in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. She attended the UN Commission on Human Rights from 1999–2001 and worked with women in over 100 countries in the areas of peace, justice, health, human rights and environment. Afia was appointed as the Communications Manager for the endowment campaign of the World YWCA.

Film career

In 2008, Afia founded Zambeel Films, a film production company in Pakistan, specialising in producing local independent films for a global audience.

Personal life

Afia is currently based in New York City, where she lives with her husband and daughter.

Awards

Film Awards/Honours/Grants

Academic Awards/Fellowships/Grants

Film Festivals

Nadah (Short Film) - Director, Producer, Editor
  • International Film Festival Rotterdam, 2003 (World Premiere)
  • Reel-World Film Festival, Toronto, 2003 (Canadian Premiere)
  • Clermont-Ferrand Film Market 2003
  • 19th VC FilmFest
    Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
    The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications . It was established in 1983 as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific American and Asian international cinema. The festival fulfills a unique mission in...

    , Los Angeles, 2003 (Nominee Golden Reel Award)
  • 9th International Film Festival Dortmund, Germany 2003
  • Anthology Film Archive, New York, 2003
  • Commonwealth International Film Festival 2003 (UK Premiere)
  • 1st Asian Pacific Short-Film Festival 2003 Barcelona (Spain Premiere)
  • 9th Asian Film Festival, 2003, Lyon (French Premiere)
  • 3rd KaraFilmFestival, 2003, Karachi, Pakistan (Pakistan Premiere)
  • Cinemasia, 2004, Netherlands
  • Mateela Film Festival, 2004, Lahore, Pakistan (Lahore Premiere)


Toba Tek Singh (Short Film) - Writer, Director, Producer, Editor, Executive Producer
  • New York Asian American International film festival 2005 (World Premiere)
  • VC FilmFest
    Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
    The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications . It was established in 1983 as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific American and Asian international cinema. The festival fulfills a unique mission in...

     2006, Los Angeles, US (American Premiere)


Long After... (Muntazir) (Short Film) - Writer, Director, Producer, Editor, Executive Producer
  • Montreal World Cinema Film Festival 2007
  • ReelWorld Film Festival, Toronto, 2008
  • Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market 2008
  • Asian American International Film Festival, New York, 2008
  • New Jersey International Film Festival 2008


Butterfly (Short Film) - Writer
  • Asia-Expo film festival, Lyon France (Winner Audience Choice Award)
  • Napa Valley Wine Country Film Fest (Winner Best International Short Film)
  • Black Maria Film Festival 2003 (Winner Honourable Mention)
  • Ivy Film Festival 2003 (Winner best graduate student film)
  • 19th VC Film Fest, LA, 2003 (Nominee Golden Reel Award)
  • San Francisco International Film Festival
    San Francisco International Film Festival
    San Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...

     2003
  • Mumbai International Film Festival, 2003
  • Palm Springs Short Film Festival, 2003
  • Hawaii International Film Festival
    Hawaii International Film Festival
    The Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...

    , 2003
  • Greenwich Film Festival, 2003
  • Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, 2003
  • San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, 2003
  • Vancouver Asian Film Festival
    Vancouver Asian Film Festival
    The Vancouver Asian Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia for about 4–5 days in November. Launching in 1996 , it is Canada’s oldest Asian film festival, exhibiting films and videos by North American artists of Asian heritage. Awards include a juried award...

    , 2003
  • Cinema Paradiso Film Festival, 2003
  • ACV New York Asian American Film Festival, 2003
  • San Diego Asian Film Festival
    San Diego Asian Film Festival
    The San Diego Asian Film Festival is an annual event organized by the San Diego Asian Film Foundation. The festival was first held in 2000 at the University of San Diego by the Asian American Journalists Association of San Diego.-Organization Overview:...

    , 2003
  • DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival, 2003
  • Dallas Asian American Film Festival, 2003

External links

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