Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken’s documentary ‘Song of Lahore‘ received a standing ovation at its screening at the ongoing 14th annual Tribeca Film Festival at various locations throughout downtown Manhattan.
The documentary focuses on the music community of Lahore, which until the late 1970s, was well-known 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, Sachal Studios quietly released some classical and folk albums, but an experimental album fusing jazz and South Asian instruments brought Sachal Studios into the global spotlight. Song of Lahore follows Sachal Studios’ journey.
The sole entry from Pakistan, Song of Lahore has been nominated for the World Documentary Feature Competition at this year’s festival and will contest in the following categories with 11 other international entries:
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best New Documentary Director
- Best Documentary Editing
The twelve films in 2015’s World Documentary Competition represent the year’s achievements in nonfiction storytelling.
The festival that kicked off on April 15 will end on April 26.
