Jawad Sharif

Award-winning Filmmaker | National Geographic Explorer | Ted Fellow | Recent films - Indus Blues, Climate Kahani, Natari, Bhashaili(Adrift) & Moklani (2026).

Islāmābād, Pakistan

About

Jawad Sharif is an award-winning filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer from Pakistan, celebrated for his powerful visual storytelling at the intersection of art, culture, and social change. He has established himself as one of Pakistan’s leading documentary filmmakers, focusing on indigenous identities, human rights, and environmental resilience. His latest film, Moklani – The Last Mohanas, won the Jackson Wild Media Award in the Global Voices category, his acclaimed feature Indus Blues earned the Grand Jury Crystal Award at GIFF (USA) and the Gold Award at the Spotlight Doc Awards, and screened at prestigious festivals such as CPH: DOX (Denmark). Jawad’s films reflect a deep commitment to empathetic, community-centered storytelling that bridges the local and the global through cinema.

Experience

  • Filmmaker at Jawad Sharif Films
    Feb 2010 - Present · 16 yrs 5 mos

  • National Geographic Explorer at National Geographic Society
    2023 - Present · 3 yrs 6 mos

  • Founder | Filmmaker at Climate Kahani
    Mar 2018 - Present · 8 yrs 4 mos

    Climate Kahani is a digital communication and awareness platform that aims to demystify climate change for a broad audience across Pakistan.

  • Founder at Film Virsa
    Feb 2026 - Present · 5 mos

  • Director & Cinematographer at Freelance
    Mar 2007 - Dec 2014 · 7 yrs 10 mos

    • Responsible for overseeing creative aspects of a Film under the overall control of the film producer/company. • Develops the vision for a film and carry out the vision • Responsible for turning the script into a sequence of shots.