Maham Waqar

M.F.A. – 2nd Year

Film/Video Production | Storrs

Hometown: Lahore, Pakistan
UConn location: 132 Bishop Center

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MahamWaqar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mahamwaqarmw/

M.F.A. – 2nd Year

Assistantship: Digital Media & Design TA, and IPB (Innovation Partnership Building) Content Creation

Education: B.A. in Social Sciences, major in Television, Film, Theatre, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, Pakistan.

Language(s) Spoken: Urdu اردو, Punjabi پنجابی

Area of Research / Artistic Focus: Short/feature film production, music videos, documentaries on social topics

Maham Waqar is a first-year M.F.A. candidate at the University of Connecticut, specializing in film production within the Digital Media and Design program.

She is a summa cum laude graduate from Beaconhouse National University in Pakistan, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in social sciences with a major in Television, Film, and Theatre. Maham embarked on her filmmaking journey as an independent filmmaker with a profound commitment to shedding light on national and international social issues, as well as taboo topics. Her cinematic endeavors are characterized by an unwavering dedication to capturing authentic, unfiltered human stories and raw emotions through the lens of her camera.

She thrives on pushing the boundaries of traditional storytelling conventions, continuously exploring new genres, perspectives, and innovative filmmaking techniques to expand her creative horizons. As the driving force behind MW Films, her own media production startup, Maham has taken on the roles of director, producer, cinematographer, and writer in the creation of a diverse range of short films, documentaries, and music videos.

Beyond her focus in film, Maham is a multifaceted artist, boasting accomplishments as a singer, music composer, and songwriter. Her musical talents have garnered considerable recognition, with one of her music videos amassing over 117 million views on YouTube and a substantial online following of nearly 1 million subscribers. With this impressive social media influence, Maham aspires to utilize her platform to advocate for sustainable development goals and promote social change globally.

She currently serves as a Graduate Assistant in the DMD department, where she teaches DMD 2210 Film & Video Editing 1 and DMD 2810 Digital Cinematography I, and also works at the Innovative Partnership Building, where she oversees the creation of digital media content for the institute.

Selected Achievements:

Participated in the recording of the National Anthem of Pakistan as a singer.
Earned a gold medal from Beaconhouse University for her documentary project “One Penny Artist.”
Received a fully-funded Erasmus Mundus Scholarship in Europe for a Masters in Fiction Filmmaking.
Received a Fulbright for a fully-funded semester exchange scholarship (UGRAD) in New Hampshire, USA
Represent women in music via Spotify’s “Equal Women” campaign
117+ Million views on the cover song “Duaa” on YT.

Fun Fact: I have two adorable plush penguins named Happy and Joy. Their super power – they can make anyone smile ☺️