Serendip joins Asia Pacific VRC Network

A dynamic and multi-faceted production organisation in Pakistan is the latest addition to the Asia Pacific Video Resource Centre Network. Serendip Productions Ltd, based in Islamabad, is the second Pakistani civil society organisation to join the network. They join the long standing VRC in Pakistan, the World Wide Fund for Nature - Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan).

With over a thousand television productions to their credit, Serendip are established as a major audio-visual force both at home and abroad, and their programmes often feature on Pakistani terrestrial and satellite television channels. They have been commissioned to produce advocacy programmes for organisations such as Save the Children USA and UK, UNICEF and UNDP.

Founded in 1997 by award-winning producers Huma Beg and Dr Farooq Beg, Serendip's aim is to create programmes that "make a difference". This they achieve by promoting humanitarian work as well as by raising awareness about issues ranging from health and education to the environment and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Commenting on joining the Asia Pacific VRC Network, Huma Beg, Director of Serendip, said: ""We feel our passion of influencing young minds towards issues of culture, environment and development have been immensely enhanced by this partnership."

Indeed, Serendip place great emphasis on their social responsibility and commitment to development issues, but keep an open mind regarding how best to approach such topics. They use a diverse range of styles and genres. Weighty documentaries about child labour and gender discrimination sit alongside popular children's programmes such as Tappu the Tractor and Bunty Ke Saath. The former, a home-grown animation series featuring an affectionate tractor, aims to encourage moral and social values via entertainment. The latter has made a household name of a puppet-girl named Bunty.

Serendip have been keen to further develop this 'edu-tainment' approach to cater to grown ups as well, and now produce a number of drama serials promoting health and gender awareness intertwined with story telling and exciting plots. Aiming to further add to the variety of their material, Serendip have recently incorporated animation and virtual reality technology into their programming.

Recent Serendip productions include:

• Playing by the Rules was made in co-operation with Save the Children and deals with the thorny subject of child labour. It shows how well meaning efforts to tackle such problems through international intervention can backfire unless supported by an appreciation of local cultures and societies and the role of women within them.
• Taller than the mountains was produced for The Agha Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) as a curtain raiser for the ICIMOD conference in Bhutan. The film celebrates the International Year of the Mountains and travels to the far corners of the magnificent Northern Pakistan. Amidst the spectacularly rugged mountains and lush green valleys live communities denied access to the outside world and there are women who have proved to be 'Taller than the mountains'.
• A Man for all Reasons is an autobiographical film on the late social scientist and Magsasay award winner Dr Akhter Hameed Khan, dealing with major development issues of this region. This is the story of a man whose revolutionary social experiments in harnessing peoples potential has changed the destinies of millions all over the sub continent. The film travels all the way from Comilla in Bangladesh to Karachi in Pakistan to reveal 'A man for all reasons'.
• Struggling For Answers is a short film promoting small-scale sustainable community development, exploring how people can help themselves when the State is unable or unwilling to do so. It looks at villagers' stoic efforts to overcome problems such as pollution and deforestation, and a lack of sanitation and educational facilities.
• Badelte Rishte (Changing Relationships) was actually made ten years ago, yet remains one of Dr Beg's most renowned films, winning six international awards for its study of HIV/AIDS and the Muslim community. It is still regularly screened and is available to NGOs for loan free of charge. Serendip are currently working on Abhi Nahin, a full-length follow-up feature film that Dr Beg promises will be even more far-reaching and successful.
• Bunty Ke Saath, a weekly children's television programme starring a puppet-girl named Bunty, provides education about health and social issues such as tuberculosis, HIV and drug abuse. Hugely informative, but also entertaining, the series is popular with children and adults alike.