Zubair Qureshi
‘Minahil,’ a touching, morale-boosting tale of a mountain girl who refuses to surrender before the odds and finally achieves her goal i.e. playing ice hockey was screened at Serena Hotel on Friday.
The ‘docu-drama’ as described by its director, eminent documentary & filmmaker, Wajahat Malik highlighted how important it was to support women particularly the girls who are chasing their dreams and how effective it is to provide them with equal opportunities. ‘Minahil’ highlights the inspiring journey of the Booni Girls ice hockey team from Chitral, showcasing their determination and the transformative power of inclusion and gender equality. As the movie unfolds, the audience sees a young girl from Chitral (Minahil) longing to play ice-hockey, but her father declines her request. However she refuses to lose hope and keeps showing her passion for the sport. Finally, her father relents and she is playing in the team. Her participation in the sport thus contributes enormously to her empowerment.
Filmed in Chitral’s native language ‘Khowar’ with subtitles, the film has been co-funded by Serena Hotels and the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad.
While speaking at the premiere First Secretary for Political and Public Affairs at the High Commission of Canada, Amanda DeSadeleer expressed her enthusiasm for the project, stating, “The Booni story is a powerful one, and that is why we were thrilled when film director Wajahat Malik wanted to take on the job of capturing the work of the Booni Environmental Academy and how ice hockey, specifically girls’ ice hockey, has been at the heart of their journey.
This year, the High Commission of Canada in Pakistan and Serena Hotels supported Eyebex Films with the hopes of bringing the stories of personal victories and achievements of some of the beneficiaries of the programme to the big screen. We hope you, and the rest of the world, will be as inspired as we have been to watch these courageous girls become confident and successful young women, both on and off the ice, she further said. In his brief address, CEO Serena Hotels, Aziz A Boolani said Serena Hotels has been actively supporting women in sports via sponsorships. Notable mentions are acclaimed mountaineer Samina Baig whose first solo climb was in sponsorship of Serena Hotel talented footballer Karishma Ali to attend the Global Sports Week in Paris, France. Other sports and adventure initiatives include partnerships with diplomatic missions such as supporting cricket for blind girls, where professional Australian players train young girls & Serena hosts matches to hone their talent, providing them with skills to help them build their futures, he said. Along with a mentorship programme that the management launched with professional female golf players to encourage the participation of women in golf, Aziz Boolani said adding Serena Hotels believes in supporting gender equity & empowerment through our various initiatives.
