Headline Feb 20, 2015/ ''' STUDENT SARAH KHAN : PAKISTAN'S RISING FILM-MAKER '''

''' STUDENT SARAH KHAN : 

PAKISTAN'S RISING FILM-MAKER '''

BY ANY MEASURE, Student Sarah Khan is a very brave girl; just as she is a highly talented student.

Following her film's release, Sarah was honoured and invited to speak at a conference in Colombo by the Asian Development Bank. Sarah recalls: 

''It was an intimidating audience because  -it was attended by:

Chief Justices from all across Asia, professors and the President of Siri Lanka. 

A judge from the Lahore High Court came up to me after the presentation and said:

'Your work has brought me to tears'.''

Later, she was invited at the Pailey Centre for Media in New York to talk about creative social change through  storytelling.

Sarah, who is the daughter of a very distinguished human, activist and documentary film maker, Samar Minallah, collected inspiration from her mother.  

''I've grown up in this environment, so it never seemed unattainable to me''. 

Sarah Khan will share her experiences as an alumnus of the programme at Harvard University next month.  

Student Sarah Khan bagged the second prize at an international film festival at Harvard University last year.

The 16-year old is also among five Pakistani women featured in BBC's 2014 list of 100 Women.

As a student of O' Levels, Sarah had Development Studies and Environment Management as her subjects last year.

''I came across the book  Silent Spring  by Rachel Carson, which inspired me to make my first film  *** Harvesting Hope***  said Sarah, who profiled cotton-picking girls and women in Multan, in the movie.

Recalling her favourite quote from the book, she shared that a man is part of nature and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.

*Harvesting Hope*  underlines the hazards women cotton-pickers are exposed to in cotton field due to excessive use of pesticides and virtually no protection

The film also highlights the effect of pesticides on the environment and the vital role played by women organic farmers in protecting the environment and health of their families.

Sarah said she was most interested in exploring the relationship between girls, women and the environment, and  filmmaking  was just just the right means to do that.

Her second film  The Ripple effect   portrays how access to potable water has transformed the lives of rural women in the country.

When seasonal patterns began to change and rain became scarce, these women adopted methods of conserving rainwater in Chakwal, a small town-city.

Sarah said that not only do the girls featured in the film, such as Deeba : No longer have to make back-breaking journey to fetch water every day, but they also have the freedom to pursue new opportunities.

This has also paved the way for them to earn an income they can invest in their children's future.

''They continue to inspire the next generation of girls to conserve resources and use innovative methods to tackle an issue that effects over two billion people every day,'' stated Sarah.

Very true, that, Sarah Khan! 

With most respectful and loving dedication to all of Pakistan's great daughters, and all the girl students of the world.

Thank you for reading, and see Ya all on !WOW!  -the World Students Society Computes-Internet-Wireless:

And then, As always, with most loving dedication to the great privilege of having worked with, and learnt from,   alongside :  Mariam, Rabo, Dee, Haleema, Saima, Sameen, Areesha, Paras, Sarah, Sorat, Anne, Aqsa, Armeen, Amina, Talat,   

''' Crunch Time Girls '''

'''Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless