Mehreen Jabbar (Urdu: م‍ﮩ‍رين جبار ) (b. 29 December 1971, is a Pakistani film and television director and producer based in New York City. She is a daughter of the Pakistani media-person Javed Jabbar. She is also the niece of Beo Zafar. Mehreen Jabbar is first cousin of famous Pakistani-British singer, actor and director Yasir Akhtar.

Contents

• 1 Early life
• 2 Career
  • 2.1 Ramchand Pakistani
• 3 Filmography
  • 3.1 Movies
  • 3.2 Web series
  • 3.3 Noted television
• 4 Awards and nominations
• 5 Festival screenings
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Early life

Born in Karachi, Jabbar grew up around Pakistan's show business. Her father, Javed Jabbar has been a filmmaker, and a very successful ad man apart from being a former Pakistani senator and a cabinet minister. After receiving a BA degree from Saint Joseph's College in Karachi, Jabbar went to the US to study film and completed a two-year program at University of California Los Angeles in 1993, with a Film, Television and Video certificate. She returned to Pakistan, and directed and produced drama series/serials under the banner of TasVeer Productions, almost all of which were critically acclaimed by the Pakistani press.

Career

Jabbar is a Pakistani-American director who is a 25 year veteran of the industry, with a prolific career as Director/Producer of gritty, hard-hitting films and TV series for Pakistani and South Asian Television which have earned her both critical and commercial success.She has also made a number of narrative shorts that have been screened internationally in film festivals as well as on TV. Her award winning short films and TV dramas include ‘Daughters of the Late Colonel”, “Beauty Parlor”, “Doraha”, “Daam”, amongst others. In 2008 Mehreen directed her debut feature film ‘Ramchand Pakistani’ for which she was awarded the ‘Global Film Initiative Grant’. The film premiered in compe*ion at the Tribeca Film Festival and continued a successful festival run. It was later released theatrically in Pakistan, India and the United Kingdom in 2008-09 to wide critical and audience acclaim. ‘Ramchand Pakistani’ was awarded the ‘Fipresci Prize’ by the ‘International Federation of Film Critics’, the ‘Audience Award’ at the ‘Fribourg Film Festival’, Switzerland and an ‘Honorable Mention’ by the 13th Annual Satyajit Ray Award at the London Film Festival. In 2010 Mehreen was invited to screen her film at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Her second feature film Dobara Phir Se which was shot in New York and Karachi had a successful theatrical release in Pakistan, the UK, USA and the UAE in December, 2016.

Jabbar has been a member of the National Board of Film Censors in Karachi, a founding member of the KaraFilm Festival in Karachi, Pakistan and a founder member of the NGO WAR (War Against Rape). In 2011 she was invited to the Maisha Film Lab in Uganda - a non-profit training lab founded by director Mira Nair to be a directing mentor. She is the recipient of several awards for her work and has served as a jury member in many local and international film festivals.

Ramchand Pakistani

Ramchand Pakistani was Jabbar's first feature-length film, which was released in Pakistan, India and the UK to wide critical and audience acclaim. The film premiered in the compe*ion section of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in 2008. It won the FIPRESCI PRIZE from the International Federation of Film Critics and received Honourable Mention by the 13th Annual Satyajit Ray Awards at the London Film Festival, 2008 as well as the Audience award at the Fribourg International Film Festival. The film recently had a week-long screening at the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York.

Jabbar directed the web drama series Ek Jhoothi Love Story which was released on ZEE5 in October 2020.

Filmography

Movies

Web series

Noted television

• Ab Tum Ja Saktey Ho (Now you can go)
• Afsoon Khawab
• Aur Zindagi Badalti Hai (And Life Changes) (2000)
• Chalo Phir Se Muskurain (Lets Smile Again)
• Beauty Parlor"
• Daughters of the Late Colonel
• Deeda-e-Purkhoon (Bloody Eyes)
• Farar (Escape)
• Harjai (Betrayal)
• Lal Baig(*roach)
• Abba Amma Aur Ali(Mom, Dad, & Ali)
• Putli Ghar (Puppet House)
• Sanam Gazida
• Doraha (Crossroads) (2008)
• Pehchaan (Iden*y) (2005)
• New York Stories
• Kahaniyaan (Stories)
• Malaal – Hum TV (2009)
• Vasl – Hum TV
• Daam (Price) – ARY (2010)
• Neeyat – ARY
• Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu – Hum TV (2012)
• Coke Kahani (Coke Story)
• Rehaai (Freedom)
• Jackson Heights – Urdu1
• Mera Naam Yusuf Hai – A-Plus Entertainment
• Wapsi – Ary Digital (2010) (telefilm)
• Dil Kya Karay – Geo TV (2019)

Awards and nominations

• Ramchand Pakistani wins FIPRESCI Award from the International Federation of Film Critics and receives Honourable mention by the 13th Annual Satyajit Ray Awards at the London Film Festival (2008)
• Won – Indus Drama Awards (2004) Best Director for Harjai
• Won – IndusVision Young Achievers Award (2002)
• Won – Lux Style Awards (2002) Aur Zindagi Badalti Hai nominated for Best TV Series
• Won – Kara Film Festival (2001) Best Director & Best medium-length Film for Daughters of the Late Colonel
• Won – 9th Lux Style Awards (2010) Best TV Director for Doraha
• Nominated – 10th Lux Style Awards (2011) Best TV Director for Daam
• Won – Pakistan Media Award (2010) Best Drama – Satellite Malal
• Nominated - Hum Awards (2012) Best Director for Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu

Festival screenings

Beauty Parlor screened at:

• Hong Kong International Film Festival
• Pusan Film Festival, South Korea
• San Francisco Asian American Film Festival, USA
• Trikone Festival, USA
• New Orleans Film Festival, USA
• Toronto Inside Out Film Festival, Canada
• Regent Park Film Festival, Canada
• Leeds Film Festival, UK
• Bite the Mango Festival, UK
• Travelling Film Festival of the British Film Ins*ute. UK
• Screenings at Pioneer Theatre, and the Queens Museum of Art, New York .

Daughters of the Late Colonel screened at:

• KaraFilm Festival, Pakistan

Ramchand Pakistani Official Selection at:

• Tribeca Film Festival
• Seattle International Film Festival
• Osian Film Festival
• Rhode Island International Film Festival
• Pusan International Film Festival
• London International Film Festival
• South Asian International Film Festival
• Third I Film Festival, San Francisco
• Cairo International Film Festival
• Dubai International Film Festival
• Kerala Film Festival
• Fribourg Film Festival

Lala Begum screened at:

• Jagran Film Festival, Delhi, India
• MISAAF Film Festival, Canada
• Dallas South Asian Film Festival, USA
• Washington DC South Asian Film Festival, USA (Winner, Best Story)

Dobara Phir Se screened at:

• Chicago South Asian Film Festival, USA
• Tasveer Seattle South Asian Film Festival, USA

References

External links

• Mehreen Jabbar's – Official website
• Mehreen Jabbar at IMDb