Afia Serena Nathaniel (born 1974) is an independent

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

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 The Columbia University School of the Arts (also known as School of the Arts or SoA) is the fine arts graduate school of Columbia University in Morningside Heights, New York (state), New York. It offers Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degrees in Film, ...

(2006).

Early life

Afia Nathaniel was born in

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

, Pakistan. 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 ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Education

Afia did her

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

from

Convent of Jesus and Mary The Convent of Jesus and Mary ("CJM") is a network of Roman Catholic schools founded by the Congregation of the Religious of Jesus and Mary. The school network originating in east-central France in the 19th century has since its inception expan ...

, Lahore. She then attended

Kinnaird College The Kinnaird College for Women (KCW) is a university located in Lahore, Pakistan. It is a women's liberal arts university. Kinnaird was established in 1913 by the Zenana Bible and Medical Mission. In 1919, Presbyterian Mission Church and the ...

from 1991 to 1994, graduating with a BSc 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, also known by its acronym LUMS, is a Private university, private research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1985, it is ranked as one of the most prestigious modern Li ...

(LUMS) to pursue a BSc in Computer Science. She graduated from LUMS in 1997. In 2001,

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

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 Groupe S.A. is a French multinational advertising and public relations company. As of 2024, the company is the largest advertising company in the world by revenue. Based in Paris, it is one of the 'Big Four' advertising commpanies, al ...

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 The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

, an international women's non-profit organisation based in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, Switzerland. She attended the

UN Commission on Human Rights The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of th ...

from 1999 to 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. Afia is a member of

Film Fatales Film Fatales is a non-profit which advocates for parity in the entertainment industry and supports a community of women feature film directors who meet regularly to mentor each other, collaborate on projects and share resources. History The group w ...

independent women filmmakers. *

Dukhtar ''Dukhtar'' (; ) is a 2014 Pakistani drama-thriller film directed by Afia Nathaniel. The film stars Samiya Mumtaz, Mohib Mirza, Saleha Aref, Asif Khan, Ajab Gul and Samina Ahmad. The film is Afia Nathaniel's feature directorial debut; she a ...

(2014)

Personal life

Afia is currently based in New York City she teaches in the visual arts department at Princeton University. She lives with her husband and daughter .

Awards

Film Awards/Honours/Grants * 2015 Best Film Director –

(awaiting result) * 2010 NYFA Geri Ashur Screenwriting Award * 2006 Milos Forman Finishing Fund * 2006

Hollywood Foreign Press Association The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) was a nonprofit organization of journalists and photographers who reported on the American entertainment industry for predominantly foreign media markets. It is best known for founding and conduc ...

Grant * 2005 IFP Market Screenplay Award * 2005 Ezra Litwak Award for Distinction in Screenwriting at the Columbia University Film School Student Film Festival * 2005 HBO Development Award * 2005 Finalist, Tribeca Connect, New York * 2003 Nadah, Nominee Golden Reel Award, VC Filmfest Academic Awards/Fellowships/Grants * 2004-6 World Studio Foundation Fellow * 2003-4 AAUW International Fellow * 2003-4 MMMF (James Wolfensohn) Fellow, World Bank * 2003-4 WIL Fellow, International House, New York * 2001-3 Dean's Fellow, School of Arts, Columbia University, New York * 1994 Mangat Rai Gold Medal, Kinnaird College, Lahore, Pakistan

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 The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications (VC). It was established in 1983 by Linda Mabalot as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific Ame ...

, 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) *

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 The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by SFFILM, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in international film and vid ...

2003 * Mumbai International Film Festival, 2003 * Palm Springs Short Film Festival, 2003 *

Hawaii International Film Festival Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...

, 2003 * Greenwich Film Festival, 2003 *

Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is an annual film festival held in Los Angeles, California. Established by Christina Marouda in 2003, as a nonprofit organization devoted to paving the way for a greater appreciation of Indian cinema< ...

, 2003 * San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, 2003 *

Vancouver Asian Film Festival The Vancouver Asian Film Festival (VAFF) 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 Americ ...

, 2003 * Cinema Paradiso Film Festival, 2003 * ACV New York Asian American Film Festival, 2003 *

San Diego Asian Film Festival The San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) is an annual film festival in San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, ...

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

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nathaniel, Afia Living people 1974 births Film directors from New York City American people of Pakistani descent Pakistani screenwriters Pakistani film producers Lahore University of Management Sciences alumni Convent of Jesus and Mary, Lahore alumni Film directors from Lahore Kinnaird College for Women University alumni Columbia University School of the Arts alumni