Filmmaker Mahera Omar’s documentary wins award at Nepal film festival

Sometimes Even The Shore Drowns, a film by Mahera Omar, on Sunday won the best international special mention award at the 5th Nepal Cultural International Film Festival in Kathmandu.

Featuring the mighty periwinkle, the bubbler crab and Karachi’s mangrove forest, the film is an ode to the human and non-human inhabitants of the city by the sea.

The film, which was screened at the festival on Saturday, was inspired by Rachel Carson’s 1955 book The Edge of the Sea, Sometimes Even The Shore Drowns, (Kabhi Aisai Bhi Hota Hai Ke Kinare Doob Jate Hain).

Set against the backdrop of human activity in and around mangrove forest creeks, amidst steaming vessels and a new skyline, the film takes one on a silent journey through a delicate wetland ecosystem on the shores of an industrial city.

Mahera’s other films have been exhibited in Pakistan as well as at international film festivals including Film South Asia, Istanbul International Architecture and Urban Films Festival, and Delhi International Film Festival.

Highlights of her filmography include Perween Rahman — The Rebel Optimist and The Dream Journey musical travelogues.

Originally published in Dawn, April 1st, 2024