Mahnoor Yar Khan is a from Hyderabad, India. She has a passion for filmmaking which is her main career. But she is also a drama therapist and connects with people around the world to fight oppression and discrimination. She has been part of the production of many films such as “Ordue.” She is also known for her project, Gaza 51, which was showcase in multiple different cities in India.
Education
According to the Other Kohinoors, Mahnoor Yar Khan has a degree in psychology and sociology from Osmania University in Hyderabad. Khan moved to Toronto, Canda in 1983 to study filmmaking. (The Other Kohinoors)
Career
Khan’s passion for filmmaking eventually led her to become an assistant editor for a student film called “Ordure” and worked as a production manager for the film “Bread.” When she moved back to India, Khan co-directed a film in 1991 titles, “Farewell to Sri Lanka” that screened at the Mumbai International Film Festival (Other Kohinoors).
Awards
Khan’s film, “Ordure”, won a jury prize at the Canadian Student Film Festival. She also codirected the film “Bread” which won the Blue Ribbon Award at the 26th American Film Festival in 1984 (Other Kohinoors).
Project Gaza 51
Using her talent and passion for filmmaking and fine arts, Khan used her skills in order to advocate for Gazans and the Palestinian people. According to the article “Art under Siege,” Khan lived in Gaza for over 25 years to capture the stories of the people of Palestine. Gazans have been living under Israeli occupation since 1967 and they are not able to leave. Palestinians need to get a permit from the Israeli military and the Jordanian government in order to travel. (Sharma). Mahnoor Yar Khan would allow the youth of Gaza to express their feelings and emotions through art. The kids of Gaza have been stuck in an open-air prison their whole life. They have seen their loved ones, relatives, or neighbors be killed by the occupiers. Khan used her talent and passions to help the youth of Gaza to express their emotions thought their artistic skills. And she did not stop there; she took their work to show the world what is happening is Gaza, Palestine. She showcase her work in five different cities in Gaza and continued to share the hardships of Gazans and advocate for them even after leaving Gaza.
On the Khoj studio website, an art organization in New Delhi, India, a page is dedicated to Mahnoor Yar Khan. In 2016, the work that she had collected from the youth in Gaza was presented in this museum. The description on her page states, “The exhibition wove together stories of displacement, occupation and exile, of daily life and resilience under siege” (Khoj studios). Khan is a woman that used her what she loved to do to create an impact on the world. Going back to the Feminist theory, Khan acknowledged the system of oppression and acted and advocated for the freedom of Gazans. Today, Khan continues her love for filmmaking and continues to share the beauties of different communities by becoming a Co-Producer and Researcher for Other Kohinoors, a film about Hyderabad.