Academy Award-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, known for her documentary work and for directing Disney’s Ms. Marvel, has come on board Pakistani-American filmmaker Afia Nathaniel’s powerful short film Don’t Be Late, Myra as an executive producer, Variety reported on Monday.
The film traces the perilous journey of a 10-year-old girl, Myra (played by Innayah Umer), as she navigates the streets of Lahore to return home. Drawing from her own experiences as a survivor, Nathaniel addresses the difficult subject of child abuse directly, with Myra encountering a series of characters who embody the various threats a young girl can face in public spaces.
The cast features Nida Ahsan as Myra’s bedridden mother and Sumaira Saghir as her teacher. The roles of the menacing figures she meets on her trek are portrayed by Mushtaq Ahmed, Munir Hussain, Shahid Riaz, Rizwan Riaz, and Sohail Tariq.
Don’t Be Late, Myra has enjoyed significant success on the film festival circuit, securing awards at the Bergen International Film Festival in New Jersey, the Montreal International Film Festival, the Big Apple Film Festival in New York, the UK Asian Film Festival, and the Woodstock Film Festival. This strong performance has positioned the film as a contender for an Academy Award, according to Variety.
“Myra’s story is both urgent and real,” Chinoy told Variety. “Don’t Be Late, Myra gives voice to the fears every young girl knows too well, while celebrating the courage it takes to survive and to be heard. To stand behind this film is not only a responsibility, but a joy. I am proud to join as executive producer and to help bring this vital story to the world.”
This is not Nathaniel’s first recognition from the Academy; her earlier feature, Dukhtar, was Pakistan’s official submission for the 2015 Academy Awards. She later broke new ground in the United States by becoming the first Pakistani-American woman to direct a US network drama with an episode of NBC Universal’s Chicago Med.
