ISLAMABAD: Pakistani filmmaker Saman Kamraan, recently named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list, has said her creative journey has been shaped by a deep interest in storytelling that she discovered and refined through hands-on experience on film sets.
Speaking on Pakistan TV’s morning show "World This Morning", Kamraan described herself as a “struggling artist” whose career began taking shape during her studies at the National College of Arts, Lahore, where she enrolled in the film and TV programme in 2016.
She said that while still a student, she actively pursued work opportunities on professional sets, taking on roles as an assistant director, art director and producer.
She explained that early networking during university helped her build confidence and practical experience, adding that later it became easier for her to direct and produce her own projects.
Kamraan recalled that her first significant exposure came when a senior invited her to work as an assistant director on a film shoot.
The experience, she said, opened her eyes to large-scale production work and encouraged her to continue working across different departments, including direction, art direction and production.
Saman Kamraan has also worked as a producer at PTV, and is recognized as Pakistan’s first female stop-motion artist. She also served as an assistant director on ‘Umro Ayyar’, one of Pakistan’s highest-grossing films.
Her short film ‘The Bed She Made’ was the only Pakistani production selected for this year’s Busan International Short Film Festival.
She is currently in South Korea as part of an international filmmaking programme bringing together 20 filmmakers and producers from around the world to develop and co-produce projects.
She is also developing a feature film project that she hopes to shoot in Pakistan after securing international funding.
Kamraan incorporates social themes into her creative work, including climate change, which she said remains an important focus in her storytelling. She believes cinema can play a role in highlighting environmental challenges and their impact on communities.
Reflecting on her Forbes recognition, she said the achievement came as a surprise.
Looking ahead, Kamraan aims to direct more films and has expressed a strong desire to see greater support for female filmmakers in Pakistan’s film industry. She said the industry needs to give more attention to women creators so they can contribute to telling stronger and more diverse stories.
