Grooming creativity: RMS, Ad Alta schools win documentary contest

Two to five minute documentaries were shot by students of 150 institutes


Our Correspondent May 31, 2015
British Council Director Peter Upton awarded certificates to the top students and teachers.

ISLAMABAD: The British Council announced winners of the inter-university documentary competition where Roots Millennium School (RMS) Margalla Campus and Ad Alta School Sahiwal were declared winners in two of the categories.

The winning groups of students were announced at a ceremony at a local hotel on Sunday.

The ‘Hum Se Hai Pakistan’ inter-school documentary competition was organised by the British Council in which 150 institutes took part. The 2-5 minute documentaries were shot by the students with the help of their teachers as supervisors.

The competition, open to all schools offering UK qualifications in Pakistan, focused on creativity outside of academia. The contest required students to make a video on a choice of two topics: “If I were the prime minister for a day, this is what I could do” and “What does being a Pakistani mean in today’s global village”.



The contest had elements of popular voting and own judgment based on concept, innovation, quality, execution and performance.

Six winning schools, including Ad Alta Schools (Girls), Sahiwal, Beaconhouse School Islamabad, Froebel’s International School (Rawalpindi), Roots Millennium School (Islamabad Campus), Pak-Turk International School Islamabad and Beaconhouse School (Sheikhupura Campus) attended the ceremony.

Myra Salman, supervisor and principal of Alta Dalta School, Sahiwal said it was a great experience participating in the competition.

Students shared their experiences about documentary-making and how it felt to be winners or runners-up at the ceremony.

Kashif, a sports teacher for Beaconhouse Margalla Campus, said he was in the playground when all of a sudden he was told to play the lead role in the documentary “If I were the prime minister for a day, this is what I could do”. The documentary surrounds Kashif looking to sort out as to what he will do if he becomes head of the government. Meanwhile, Kashif comes across a girl who is worried after her father told her he could not bear her academic expenses. Kashif then arranges some money for the girl for her education. “We can all be ‘prime ministers’ by helping people in our community,” he concludes.

Iqra, another student from the Margalla campus of the school, who shot and helped edit the film, said she was of the view that poverty should not be a stumbling block in getting an education.

British Council Country Director Peter Upton commented that he was impressed by the critical awareness, positive approach and inclusive assertion from the students in the short films. “I was struck by the brave and courageous thinking,” he remarked.

Earlier, the event opened with a welcome note by British Council Pakistan Director Exams Services Murray Keeler.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2015. 

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