Star Wars: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Becomes First Woman and Person of Color to Break Into the ‘Jedi Order’
- The Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker will direct one of the three upcoming films which will be set after 2019’s “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker.”
It’s taken a long, long time for “Star Wars” to catch up with a globalized and diverse world. Since the franchise began in 1977, for the first time the world of Jedis will be brought to life by someone other than white males. Pakistan-born Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is set to become the first woman and person of color to direct a “Star Wars” film.
Past directors for the franchise’s films include George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand, J.J. Abrams, Gareth Edwards, Rian Johnson and Ron Howard.
The Pakistani-Canadian director shared her excitement about the role on Instagram saying, “I’ve spent my life meeting real-life heroes, who have overcome the most oppressive empires and battled impossible odds and that to me is the heart of Star Wars…which is why I was attracted to the promise of a new Jedi Order …And why I’m particularly excited about being immersed inside a Jedi Academy with a powerful Jedi Master.”
On Friday, Lucasfilm announced that Obaid-Chinoy will direct one of the three upcoming films which will be set after 2019’s “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker.” The film, set 15 years after the end of the last movie, will focus on a new Jedi order built by Jedi Master Rey played by Daisy Ridley.
If Kathleen Kennedy, President of Lucasfilm, wants to usher in a new era of “Star Wars,” this may be the best way to do that,” the Playlist commented.
Obaid-Chinoy, though better known as a documentarian, is not unfamiliar with the science fiction and superhero genre. She directed two episodes of Marvel’s series, “Ms. Marvel.”
Apart from winning two Academy Awards for documentary shorts “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness “and “Saving Face,” she also won seven International Emmys, six in 2013 for “Saving Face,” and one in 2014 for best documentary with her episode, “Pakistan’s Taliban Generation,” in Channel 4’s investigative series “Dispatches.”
Obaid-Chinoy, who is also a journalist, was awarded the 2017 Knight International Journalism Award, by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) in Washington, D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Smith College in Massachusetts and two master’s degrees from Stanford University in Communication and International Policy Studies. She is the first person of Pakistani origin to win any Academy Award.