Ammar Aziz is a Pakistani documentary

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

and poet. He's a recipient of the

International Federation of Film Critics The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

Award. His debut feature length film

A Walnut Tree ''A Walnut Tree'' is a Pakistani documentary film by Ammar Aziz. The film is about an internally displaced old man reminiscing about a distant homeland. The film had its world premiere at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in Nove ...

had its world premiere at IDFA and North American premiere at

Hot Docs The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and Jun ...

. The film won awards for the best film from Film SouthAsia, Moscow International Documentary Film Festival,

Sole Luna Doc-Film Festival Sole may refer to: * Sole (foot), the bottom of the foot * Sole (shoe), the bottom supporting member of the shoe Business * Sole proprietorship, a business which legally has no separate existence from its owner * Corporation sole, in English la ...

and others. His Second feature film, Discount Workers, had world premiere at One World Film Festival and opened a film festival in Kolkata He's a former

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in so ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fr ...

. In 2014, he started an online petition against

Lawrence & Wishart Lawrence & Wishart is a British publishing company formerly associated with the Communist Party of Great Britain. It was formed in 1936, through the merger of Martin Lawrence, the Communist Party's press, and Wishart Ltd, a family-owned Left-wing ...

for claiming the copyright to Marx/Engels Collected Works. As a filmmaker, he was initially known for his work about the working class of Pakistan. A graduate of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest ...

's National College of Arts, he was the only

from

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

to be selected in 2012 for the Talent Campus of the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

. In 2022, he won the Berlinale Mastercard Enablement program for his organisation's work on Super Sohni, an animated short series on child sexual abuse prevention in Pakistan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aziz, Ammar Pakistani documentary filmmakers Pakistani filmmakers Living people People from Lahore Pakistani Marxists English-language poets from Pakistan National College of Arts alumni Year of birth missing (living people)