Jemima interested in 'mentoring' young Pakistani filmmakers

British screenwriter and film producer Jemima Goldsmith has said that she is interested in "mentoring" filmmakers in Pakistan to help them develop their films and make sure they are seen globally because there is so much talent in Pakistan.

While talking to Geo News about her upcoming movie "What's love got to do with it?", Jemima revealed that she was working with Fatima Bhutto (niece of Benazir Bhutto and daughter of late Mir Murtaza Bhutto) to start a fund or a mentoring programme to help Pakistani filmmakers.

When asked about doing a film in Pakistan, Jemima praised Pakistani showbiz and artistic talent and said, “I think Pakistan has the most incredible talent and I want to try and do some kind of mentorship scheme and I am talking to Fatima Bhutto, my friend, about putting together some kind of fund or mentorship scheme to help filmmakers in Pakistan get their work made and seen globally because there is so much talent in Pakistan."

She added, "I know it’s a busy year, there are documentaries and feature films, and these are being celebrated, but there is so much more if you think about how hard it is to get things done. There is so much talent in that country. Praising the talent in Pakistan she said that she wants to try and find ways to help get that talent showcased internationally.

Wanted to show a joyful Pakistan 

Talking about her film, Jemima challenged herself to write a film that celebrated Pakistan. 

“I wanted to show the colourful, beautiful, joyful place that I knew when I was in Pakistan as opposed to Pakistan we often see on the Western screens. You know quite often in films such as Zero Dark Thirty and Homeland, you see Muslims and Pakistanis depicted as the baddies and Pakistan is seen as a really scary, dark place. And so I got a chance to make the romantic comedy version of Pakistan, with Working Title Film that invested in rom-coms, with a beautiful cast with Sajal Ali who is a beautiful Pakistani actress and very talented Shabana Azmi from India who is an absolute goddess and Lily James who is wonderful and Emma Thomson, Shahzad Latif and others.”

Jemima shared that one of the best things that she learnt in Pakistan was to develop faith in "Neeat" (intention) and she hopes that Pakistanis will judge her film through her ‘Neeat’ which is aimed at portraying Pakistanis as normal people and not scary creatures.