Featured Alum: Sarah Zaman
DI Class: 2007
Thesis Film:
Bismillah: In the Name of Allah
Current Position:
Reporter/Producer & Anchor for Voice of America’s Urdu TV.
What are the responsibilities in your current position?
My primary responsibility is to produce news and feature reports for our 30-min news magazine show “Beyond the Headlines” that airs in Pakistan Monday-Friday. I also serve as an anchor for the show twice a week.
What projects have you been working on?
Jolene (my thesis partner) and I will continue to polish Bismillah in the coming months, but I have not worked on any other film since graduating from DI. In my job with VoA I am producing stories almost every day.
In what ways did your experience at the Documentary Institute help prepare you for your professional career?
I came to the DI with prior experience in television news and am currently in a very similar job, but DI taught Final Cut Pro (I had worked in Avid before that) and it also helped me develop a better sense of storytelling. Today I edit all of my stories myself at VoA on Final Cut, and that helps me be very independent in my job.
Describe the experience of working on your thesis film. In what ways has this experience helped you, both personally and professionally?
Firstly, I never thought I would win an Emmy or a Cine Golden Eagle, so that is a huge deal and it was possible because of the thesis film produced at DI. This has, of course, helped me professionally too since it looks good on my resume and improves my credibility at VoA. Secondly, the whole process of working with a team member and making decisions based on consensus was an important learning experience .Thirdly, achieving your professional goal of making a well-rounded film while building a healthy and friendly relationship with your character was a significant part of the process.
What were the most helpful aspects of your time at the Documentary Institute?
Learning Final Cut Pro and also meeting people from very diverse personal and professional backgrounds. Our class had a wide range of age and experience and that made the learning experience very enjoyable.
What do you think makes the Documentary Institute different than other programs?
The individual attention from the professors was very helpful. For me it was also important to be in a program that would fund my film, which DI did, so that was great. Plus, like I said, our class was very diverse and that just made it very worthwhile for me.
What are your plans for the future?
I see myself at VoA for a few more years -– who knows what can happen after that!
