St Cross alumna awarded Best Documentary at the Gandhara Independent Film Festival

St Cross would like to congratulate alumna Saba Karim Khan (2009, MPhil Social Anthropology) on receiving the 'Best Documentary' Award for her recent documentary, We Really Are Pakistan, at the Gandhara Independent Film Festival (GIFF) in Karachi, which has been ranked among the world's top 500 film festivals.

The documentary explores Pakistan's underground rap scene through sharing the lives of three young part-time rappers in a neighbourhood of Karachi, Pakistan, and follows how they navigate developing their creative identities within music alongside work and other individual challenges. The rappers are shown to use music as a creative method of articulating their own lives and experiences, with each individual sharing different motivations behind wanting to develop as an artist in the world of rap. The documentary explores rap outside of a Western context and considers the complexities of youth culture, echoing Saba's interest in social anthropological studies.

Alongside being an award-winning filmmaker, Saba is also an educator at NYU Abu Dhabi and a published author. She recently published her first children's book with her niece, Aleena Khan. Titled A Recipe for Courage, it creatively explores themes of food, family and the importance of finding your voice.

St Cross warmly recognises Saba’s achievements both within her career as a filmmaker and as an author.