Danish Wakeel talks about his award

It is great to see Pakistani content getting international fame and recognition and Unmasking is a short film that has recently been making Pakistan proud. Penned and directed by Khalid Hasan Khan, it stars Danish Wakeel, Ali Ellinos and Talal Farhat.

So far, the film has won in the Best Foreign-Short Film category at Istanbul Film Awards in Turkey, Outstanding Achievement Award at the World Film Carnival in Singapore and won two awards (The Best Director — Special Jury Award) and International Short Film Award (Special Jury Award) at the Indo French International Film Festival, Puducherry (Paris of the East), India.

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"Unmasking is a 15-minute long short film which deals with the subject of vaccine hesitancy, at the same time dismisses the social media myths causing a slow vaccination rate around the world, especially in developing countries. The short film is a pure work of fiction and tackles the anti-vax message that is being propagated to misguide the mass population from availing the benefits of the vaccination program," states the official description on YouTube.

Speaking exclusively to Something Haute, actor Danish Wakeel shared details about the short and his overall experience.

"I auditioned for the role of a young doctor. The script was intriguing. It was an emotionally charged role. I chose it as a challenge," he revealed when asked how he got the role. "The set experience was not new for me as I have done lots of TV plays but there was a different level of energy during the shoot of this short film."

He went on to add that that it was filmed with only three characters and a handful of crew. "The power of script was the driving force along with characters’ performances."

Unmasking has a unique theme of Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy featuring three characters; a doctor, a visitor and a paramedic assistant.

"The storyline is not predictable till the very end. The film has been chosen for the main category which is the toughest one as foreign language films across all continents aim for the Best Film Award," he added sharing that the international recognition is overwhelming.

"It feels good to see a Pakistani film on the international stage as a winner in different countries with competing films from around the world. It is the greatest moment of pride for me and my country," he added.

Director Khalid Hasan Khan who is an award-winning filmmaker from Karachi, Pakistan. His debut feature film HOTAL (with A) won two awards from Delhi International Film Festival 2014, India.