Kanwal Khoosat is an internationally recognized and critically acclaimed director, writer, producer and designer who has produced work across theater, film, and television. She started her career by writing and directing plays for television. As a firm believer of the utility of media for social change and quality entertainment befitting all ages while simultaneously making audiences question their preconceived notions, she began to direct and produce theater plays as the Executive Director of OLOMOPOLO Media. Her plays No Time To Sleep, Mushk, Jhaanjar Di Paanwaan Chhankaar, Teesri Dhun, and Gidh have been unanimously lauded by critics and audiences for their impeccable performances and seamless entwining of narrative, music, and scenic design while delivering daring yet pertinent social messages for the contemporary Pakistani society. Kanwal's plays have not only been produced all across Pakistan but have also been invited to the USA and Singapore for performances and have been made into filmed theater productions. Keen to use her practice to affect social change, Kanwal has been conducting festivals, conversations around contemporary social, environmental, and political issues, and film screenings and theater plays at OLOMOPOLO Media, a safe space for people across ages, classes, and gender to witness art and engage in healthy debate. She also enjoys teaching and has taught theater, filmmaking and media studies at university and high school level. Eager to expand her skill-set and always learn more, Kanwal has delved into the realms of moving pictures with films such as Zindagi Tamasha (Producer, Pakistan’s Oscar Submission in 2020, and Kim Ji-Seok Award from Busan Film Festival 2019), Joyland (Production Designer, Jury Prize Un Certain Regard and Queer Palm Award Winner of Festival De Cannes, and Pakistan’s Oscar Submission in 2022) and Kamli (Producer & Production Designer). Her upcoming piece of work is filmed theatre 'Maya', a passion project that she wrote and directed.
