SOC Films premiered “Song of Lahore” in the US with the event hosted by Iconic Hollywood Actress Meryl Streep

November 4, 20150

Academy and Emmy Award winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and Andy Schocken’s documentary “Song of Lahore” premiered in New York City [NYC] on the 3^rd of November 2015. The premiere was hosted by legendary Academy Award winning Actress Meryl Streep at the Crosby Street Hotel in New York where a special performance by The Sachal Jazz Ensemble took place after the screening.

“Song of Lahore” is a documentary which focuses on the music community of Lahore, which until the late 1970s, was world-renowned for its music and talent. In 2004, Izzat Majeed founded Sachal Studios to create a space for traditional music in a nation that had rejected its musical roots. After convincing a number of master musicians to pick up their instruments again, they quietly released some classical and folk albums, but an experimental album fusing jazz and South Asian instruments brought Sachal Studios worldwide acclaim. “Song of Lahore” turns the spotlight on Sachal Studios and charters the ensemble’s journey to reclaim and reinvigorate an art that has lost its space in Pakistan’s narrowing cultural sphere.

Watch Video: “Song of Lahore” Performance

“Song of Lahore” Performance Clip [F]

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy has made over a dozen multi award winning films in over 10 countries around the world. Her films include Saving Face, Transgenders: Pakistan’s Open Secret and Pakistan’s Taliban Generation.

The Sachal Jazz Ensemble at the screening of “Song of Lahore” in New York City [NYC]

-PICTURED: Andy Schocken, Meryl Streep, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy -PHOTO by: Patrick Lewis/Starpix -Filename: PL_15_003091.JPG -Location: Crosby Street Hotel