FACULTY
AJ Edwards
Ahsan Javed, professionally known as AJ Edwards, is a seasoned multimedia professional and Sound Engineer with six years of industry experience and a Media Science background from SZABIST. He has established a versatile career collaborating with Academy Award-winning SOC Films, the United Nations (UN), and global brands like Unilever, inDrive, and Olymp Trade. From mastering sound for feature films to delivering cinematography for major commercial projects, AJ combines technical precision with a dynamic creative vision, making him a trusted force in both independent cinema and international brand storytelling.
The stage has always felt like a place where emotions can exist freely. Over the years, theatre and performance have taught me that good acting is not about being perfect..it is about being real, honest, and connected to the moment.
As an acting coach, I want learning to feel exciting, creative, and comfortable. Whether it’s screen acting, improvisation, character building, or understanding camera presence, my focus is to help aspiring actors grow with confidence and find their own natural style.
This film school is a space to learn, explore, make mistakes, and evolve because the best performances happen when you stop trying to act and start living the moment.
Arooj Fatymah
Saad Hashim
Saad Hashim, is an independent Filmmaker from Karachi. Along with that a screenwriter. Been associated with filmmaking for past 9 years. Made two feature film and 3 short films. One of them also got a release in Pakistan titled as INDUS ECHOES. He has also been working as Producer for independent filmmakers for past 2 years. Saad has also wrote and directed theatre plays and took them London and made Pakistan recognised globally with his theatre play Mentally Controlled.
Okasha Rajpoot is a Pakistan-based filmmaker, actor, writer, director, producer, editor, and the founder of LEFT-17 MAG!C PICTURES. His fascination with cinema began at an early age, when film techniques felt like acts of magic. By the age of 12, he was already experimenting with this “magic,” creating low-budget action films using a phone camera. These early experiences deepened his connection to storytelling and eventually led him to study Film & TV Production.
In his late teens, driven by curiosity and a desire to understand performance from within, he also began his professional journey as an actor, working in commercials and appearing in two feature films: the Pakistani blockbuster Khel Khel Mein and the independent feature Maskara.
During his university years, he worked as a casting director at Citrus Talent, one of Pakistan’s leading talent agencies, further expanding his understanding of performance and character.
After graduating from SZABIST with a degree in Media Sciences, majoring in Film & TV Production, Okasha began working professionally as an editor. His portfolio spans web series, short films, documentaries, music videos, and narrative-driven digital campaigns. His notable works include Coke Studio Pakistan Season 14, the hit Pakistani web series, AIk The Laila & Razia.
His directorial work includes the short films The Owl and Fading Ribbons. The latter marked a significant milestone in his career, earning international recognition at multiple film festivals, including awards for Best Director and Best First-Time Filmmaker.
Through his work, Okasha continues to explore cinema as a form of visual poetry—where emotion, memory, and imagery intertwine to create immersive and reflective experiences.
Okasha Rajpoot
Syeda Vannia Mehdi
Syeda Vannia Mehdi is a Media Sciences student specializing in Film & TV, with a creative background spanning graphic design, oil painting, and visual storytelling. With a strong passion for Art Direction and Production Design, she has worked as an Art Director and Art Assistant on numerous short films such as ‘Worker’ by Mohsin Tariq and commercial TVC projects, developing a visual style rooted in atmosphere, emotion, and cinematic storytelling.Vannia has also conducted an Art Direction workshop in the Karachi School of Art (KSA) for film students, sharing her approach to visual world-building and narrative-driven design. Along with a brief presentation, she also built a proper set with the students to explain to them the importance of production design . Her directorial and production design work on the music videos ‘Hum Band Rahe’ and ‘Unfair’ by Azka Shaur earned her the Best Director and Best Music Video awards at the Cedar Film Festival. As a visual artist and filmmaker, she sees Production Design as the meeting point of art, design, and cinematic language.An expressive process that transforms empty spaces into immersive film worlds through creativity, detail, and storytelling.
Aarab Khan is a cinematographer and filmmaker known for crafting visually immersive stories with a refined cinematic language and a strong eye for emotion, composition, and rawness. With experience of 4 years in the industry, Aarab has shot a Feature Film, Short Films, Music Videos, Commercials, Fashion Films and Documentaries, Aarab brings a distinctive visual identity to every project. He has International acclamations for his work, which includes shooting the First Sindhi Feature Film after 28 years ‘Indus Echoes’ which was an International collaboration between Pakistan, South Korea & Bangladesh. His Directorial Debut shortfilm ‘Lunch Break’ won International Film Festival Awards, other than that he has shot alot of Music Videos for acclaimed artists and labels.
As a filmmaker, Aarab continues to explore stories that connect with audiences on both a visual and emotional level, constantly pushing creative boundaries while maintaining a strong sense of authenticity and detail.
