Super Sohni stands out at the Berlin International Film Festival
Entertainment
Super Sohni falls under the umbrella of the Girls Sexual Abuse Prevention Programme
BERLIN (Web Desk) - Super Sohni is an animated series based on a Sohni Mahiwal inspired shero in which the superhero fights against crimes of sexual abuse of young girls. The series was recently awarded the Talents Footprints Mastercard Enablement Programme at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The series raised awareness on the issue and providing young ones with the knowledge and confidence to keep themselves safe.
Super Sohni falls under the umbrella of the Girls Sexual Abuse Prevention Programme (GSAP) initiated by SAMAAJ, “an artist-led organisation striving for an inclusive and equitable society using creative advocacy mediums”. Co-founder and filmmaker Ammar Aziz said explaining where the idea came to them from.
“As individual multidisciplinary artists, as well as an organisation, we have always been passionate about utilising creative expressions to advocate for gender equality. After the brutal murder of Zainab Ansari from Kasur, we felt that something needed to be done, particularly to educate girl children, parents, and teachers on child abuse prevention,” he said. “It took us a couple of years after that horrific incident to conceive and create Super Sohni, a girl child superhero, as part of our larger project, the GSAP.”
The SAMAAJ team consulted several experts for their project. An abuse prevention manual for teachers, parents and guardians was developed in consultation with psychologist Dr Maryam Suheyl. Filmmaker and writer Mashal Peerzada’s insights were also sought for the genre and critical examination of the messaging in each episode from a feminist lens.
“Our animation process was humble,” he shared. “Instead of relying on commercial, fancy studios, we preferred to train underprivileged artists with little to no background in the medium to create something more organic and original.”
Borrowing some elements from Punjabi folklore, the shero’s character was inspired by Sohni Mahiwal as Sohni in the legendary tale “defies gender roles and patriarchal norms, just like our very own Sohni”.
Defining their primary audience as female children in hundreds of schools across Pakistan, Aziz said the team personally visited many schools in cities such as Peshawar, Kasur, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Islamabad. The series was played for the kids and some workshops were conducted with students and teachers. “The response has been terrific,” he added.
The jury for the 2022 award at the Berlinale included Joker and Deadpool actor Zazie Beetz. About SAMAAJ’s initiative, the jury wrote, “Having considered the details of the Girls’ Sexual Abuse Prevention Programme, the clarity of their goals and immediate need to act are both very compelling. The fact that they have structured the programme in a solid, cadenced way to tackle such an important issue also inspires confidence.”
