China not only provides her with an opportunity to study international relations, but it also allows her to pursue her passion for telling people's stories to the rest of the world.

Salma Asghar moved from Lahore to Guangzhou in 2019 to further her education. She had no idea that, despite having a different major, she would still be able to pursue her love for documentary filmmaking, which she had discovered during her university years in Pakistan.

 （Salma debuts in Looking China Youth Film Project.）

A passion for storytelling

Salma's interest in documentaries was sparked during her college years in Pakistan. She studied mass communications, where a communications technology course examines various media platforms such as film, radio, and television. “It started off as pure fun,” she recalled. “My friends and I were able to goof around and make short documentaries. But as the course progressed, we were assigned more elaborate projects, like creating a short film. I fell in love with the creative process, from brainstorming the first ideas to editing the final product.”

Aside from her master's degree in mass communications, her interest was piqued further during an internship at a news channel, where she reviewed short documentary films. She was able to put her academic theories and learning into practice in the workplace. She shared that, while they had regular phones to take videos for class assignments, her internship gave her first-hand experience with professional equipment. The experience provided her with industry insights and the opportunity to network with filmmakers. One of them even offered her a peek at their taping set as a production assistant.

Passion never starts off big.It starts as a tiny spark of interest, and if you never explore it, it can simply burn out. My passion grew as I went out and took the initiative of finding different opportunities that I knew would help me learn more about myself.

In 2020, Salma first took part in the Looking China Youth Film Project. Looking China is a cultural experience program that aims to highlight the contrasting simplicity and glamour, antiquity and fashion of China through the eyes of young international filmmakers as directors. Each of them is partnered with a Chinese film student-volunteer who serves as the producer. The team would produce a 10-minute short film showcasing Chinese culture. This director-producer partnership fosters cultural exchanges and cooperation among the younger generations. Salma eagerly joined in the years that followed her debut.

  （Participants of Looking China Guangzhou 2022）

Salma believes every moment has the potential to become a storyline. It is a matter of angling or viewing things from a different perspective. She went on, "Drop in characters, throw challenges their way, and watch it unfold. Let the story lead you. So keep your mind open and you will unlock a treasure trove of stories." For her, a detailed character sketch is essential. Because there are few original ideas left, she believes that characterization is often what distinguishes a good story from a bad one.

She learned that, even with a script in hand, one must remain open to changes in the original story outline. There is a good chance that the plot will change due to new revelations in interviews or during filming.

One of the difficulties their team encountered was missing out on the critical footage. For example, when the character cried during the interview, their team missed filming it.  They attempted a retake, but the second take is not as good as the first, which is more genuine and candid. This is important because, even without words, emotions capture the story. Meanwhile, having too much footage also presents challenges in terms of sequencing the clips and fitting everything into 10 minutes. She added, "Another challenge during shooting is encouraging people to talk about their bad memories that burdened them with so many emotions and keeping them from turning away when filming."

  （Salma listening to a discussion with her fellow directors and their respective producers at 2020 Looking China.）

（Salma speaks with her character Teacher Lun and student volunteer Li Hongji during her third year of participation.）

Women protagonists

Women's empowerment is the central theme of her works. She admits that the stories of her characters inspired her, and she hopes that her films will promote women's empowerment or raise awareness of the issues and struggles women face.

Light is the title of her first Looking China entry. The story was centered around her character named Sana'a, who moved to Guangzhou with her two young children from Yemen to study medicine. In 2020, she offered her medical expertise because Yemen was also fighting the coronavirus, only to find that her father had become ill. Following his death, Sana'a renewed her determination to provide a better future for her children.

Salma, on the other hand, is very close to her siblings, and as the eldest, she treats them as if they were her own children. As a result, she can empathize with her story's main character, Sana'a. Salma wanted to use film to express her feelings about the pandemic.

She took first place out of over 100 documentary submissions. "It was completely unexpected," she said. She was thankful to her mentors and teammates, who were always kind and supportive of her ideas and the process of making a film. “For without their help, it was impossible for me [to achieve this success].”

  （As a hands-on director, Salma ensures that the camera angle enhances the dramatic scenario.）

In 2021, Salma found herself participating in an animated film, Cocoon. The theme of the film revolves around "leftover women", with the "butterfly" symbolizing the heroine's life experience. Because of their common interest in women's issues, she was teamed up with Canadian and Chinese young filmmakers, forming an all-women's team. Salma had no experience in animation projects prior to this collaboration, so it was both refreshing and exciting to work with Canadian colleagues who specialize in animation. The film won the award for Best Animation Film in Looking China.

The plot of her most recent film, Spiritual Mother, was close to Salma's heart. The main character of the story is Ms. Lun Mei Lan, who is the director of Deqing Jinlin Water Township Kindergarten. Because of a promise, Teacher Lun has been with the preschool for fifty years. She was entrusted with the responsibility of continuing and managing the preschool by the kindergarten's founder many years ago.

Salma shared, “[W]hen I met Teacher Lun, I felt unconditional love still exists in this world in the form of our teachers... Spending time with Teacher Lun reminds me of my childhood teachers. I really feel love for Teacher Lun. The way she takes care of her children and the way she [treats] them are remarkable.”

 （Film screening of Spiritual Mother）

 （Salma plays with the kids at the kindergarten.）

In terms of women's issues, she is also interested in humanitarian efforts and volunteerism, and it is her dream to build a career in this line of work.

A colorful life in China

Salma is currently a Ph.D. student in International Relations at Jinan University. She has had a very rich learning experience. Before coming to China, she had already received her master's degree in Mass Communication in Pakistan. In 2018, she earned her second master's degree in China Studies from Jinan University. She chose China as a study-abroad destination because it is one of the most popular among international students. Many Pakistanis do the same in the hopes of finding better job opportunities in fields such as travel, news media, academics, diplomacy, finance, trade, and banking after graduating from Chinese universities. Her research interests include strategic studies and artificial intelligence in future warfare.

The Chinese Government is committed to enhancing the quality of education and helping international students [by offering] many scholarship programs.I am one of the students who got a full scholarship which, helped me to fulfill my higher studies dream.

During her spare time, Salma enjoys practicing riding a bike near the Canton Tower. She is amazed by China’s shared bicycles for anyone at any time. She wishes to bring this practice to her home country.

“I started to learn to bike. I slipped and fell, but I'm fine now. I'm considering purchasing a new bike. For me, this is an entirely new experience. My friend, who is a medical student, is patiently teaching me how to ride. Although girls can ride bicycles in Pakistan, it is not common in [the place] where I live. Recently, though, I've heard that more and more women have begun to ride bicycles."

 （Salma learns how to bike with the help of her friend. ）

（The crew of Looking China Guangzhou 2020 are having fun times.）

Salma has been making prata (a staple flatbread for Pakistanis) since she was a child. As a result, she honed her hand skills by molding flour to make foods such as mooncakes and dumplings. She had recently learned how to make mooncakes and promised to make some for her family when she returns home.

In six years, she has visited several cities, including Shanghai and Xi'an, as well as half of Guangdong province. She hopes to visit the Great Wall in Beijing, as well as Kashgar, China's westernmost city, which shares a border with Pakistan.

Empathy can go a long way

（Salma enjoys the calmness and the beauty of nature in Guangdong.）

“There isn't a specific formula as to how you find what you're passionate about or how you figure out what career you want to go into in the future. I was fortunate enough to accidentally stumble upon a course that I ended up loving.”

For Salma, documentary filming taught her time management skills, calmness in responding to problems, and being more open to hearing other people's points of view.

By focusing on the character of your story, documentary filmmaking teaches you to be more understanding and sensitive to other people's emotions. When you master this, you develop empathy.And empathy can go a long way, especially in the world we live in.

Different communities have different perspectives. Documentaries are the best way to show your emotions and perspectives. She believes that listening to others' opinions and compromising is important. And that is how she approached her filming—a balance between Chinese and a foreigner's perspectives.

Despite the challenges, this will not stop Salma from producing more documentaries in the future. For her, each experience presents new challenges as well as new discoveries. “I discovered my weakness and where I fall short. And yet it aids my own development.”

(OUTLOOK)