Musawir Abrar
M.F.A. – 1st Year
Film/Video Production | Storrs
Hometown: Lahore, Pakistan
UConn location: 132 Bishop Center
Email: mjt24002@uconn.edu
M.F.A. – 1st Year
Assistantship: Digital Media & Design TA
Education: Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore (2020)
Masters of Science in Film & TV, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore (2023)
Language(s) Spoken: English, Urdu اردو, Sindhiسِنڌِي, Punjabi
Area of Research / Artistic Focus: Narrative Short Filmmaking, Film Direction, Writing, Interactive & Immersive Cinema, Interdisciplinary Art
Musawir is a storyteller at heart. While earning his engineering degree, he discovered his love for writing – from poems to stories, he explored different forms of expression through the written word. He then submitted one of his stories to a national short story competition organized by Pakistan’s first digital publishing platform. His story was selected among the Top 25 submissions and was developed before being published as a novella.
His love for writing then evolved to screenwriting which led him to the beautiful world of cinema. Musawir is an avid cinephile who loves watching world cinema. He believes in the power of the visual medium and its incredible potential to generate empathy. He wants to tell stories that explore the human condition, existentialism, the frailty of human relations, and power dynamics in social settings.
This passion for cinema led him to earn a Masters degree in Film & TV from Beaconhouse National University, graduating summa cum laude. His award-winning thesis short film, Color of Sunset, was selected for many international film festivals.
While studying at UConn, Musawir aims to use the universal language of films to tell stories that explore humans and their imperfections; stories that reassure us that we’re all equally lost in the journey of life. He is also interested in the future of the cinematic medium and aims to dedicate a part of his research to exploring the possibilities of making films more interactive and immersive.
Selected Achievements:
Thesis Film ‘Color of Sunset’ Selected for Multiple International Film Festivals, including:
- Won Best Debut Director & Best Student Short Award, Malaysian Film Festival
Published Author of Novella ‘Benedicti & The Magia Regna’
Granted Fully Funded Erasmus Mundus Scholarship for Kino Eyes Masters European Fiction Filmmaking Program
Fun Fact:
I can comfortably sleep with the lights on. Wherever you’re from, I’ve probably watched a film from your country!