A filmmaker and celebrated Producer at Columbia College, Chicago – Urwa developed an interest in cinema at an early age and hopes to continue producing films that aspire, and evoke emotion and meaning into the lives of individuals. As a producer, Urwa Zubair is a connector, constantly moving people around and linking ideas together.
”My first love was and will always be cinema. I think they both point towards an escape of some sort; a way to defy time zones, explore, create, build, and control your form of reality and the world. I feel like cinema can bring different parts of the world together, by bringing forth stories and diverse experiences from all over the world.” – Urwa Zubair
Sunday Times had the honor to learn all about her future endeavors, and an insight into the life of Urwa Zubair in an exclusive interview.
Sunday Exclusive Interview With Urwa Zubair
Q. What is your childhood memory of you being drawn toward the world of media and cinema?
A. As a child, I was always drawn towards Disney and Pixar movies, and then I believe I was at the age of 7, when my father took me to a cinema in Karachi for the first time, Going to a cinema, then being a taboo – we went to watch Spiderman, and that was my first experience of Marvel, and experiencing such advanced graphics on a big screen, finding myself engrossed,
As a child I was very interested in story-telling and often between classes I would catch myself observing people, wondering about their stories, and often writing and developing my stories too. Then at the age of sixteen, I finally recognized my passion and realized I want to pursue cinema.
Q. Who is your biggest inspiration?
There is no one in particular, but many people that I respect, and seek inspiration from, for their craft. I highly respect Sharmeen, and Riz Ahmed amongst others.
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Q. What is the one thing that makes you decide on a project?
A. Do I believe in the message of the film? As a filmmaker, we gravitate toward stories that we believe and resonate with. If that does not happen on a particular project, you can always go out and find projects and stories that your values and beliefs align with, because that is very important!
Q. Any particular talent you would like to work with?
A. I have a lot of respect for Kumayl, he is someone I would like to work with. I would also love to work with Sajal Aly and Saba Qamar, they are both phenomenal in their craft!
Q. Do you forget day and night once immersed in a project?
A. I believe as I grow older and more mature, I can draw more boundaries and enforce work-life balance, but at the beginning of the lifecycle of a project, things are much more manageable but as you move towards the execution and the end, it does get busier hard to manage and as artists, we get so involved in our work that eventually we do lose the sense of time, day, night and the world around us as we become engrossed in the project as a team, and regardless of it becoming exhausting it brings immense joy to us all.
Q. How do you manage your close relationships with such a busy schedule?
A. I believe the people you are close to, and who love you will always be there through thick and thin and busy schedules. It does get difficult when you become so immersed in s project that you don’t get tie to catch up with friends, and family, but the main ones always stick around.
Q. What is your success-driven morning routine?
A. I am an early bird so I wake up around 6.00-6.30 am, catch a workout, usually go for a walk, and spend some exclusive me-time, focusing on myself, that usually involvesUSA-based journaling.
Catch the full exclusive interview with the ace Producer on our Youtube Channel below!