What good is my parents' wealth and education and upbringing if I'm not contributing to the world?

She has been lauded as Pakistan's first female Oscar winner by the press and government [1] [2]. Eventually Bill Abrams the president of New York Times Television gave her her big break. The Pakistani President conferred the Hilal-e-Imtiaz on Obaid-Chinoy on 23 March 2012 for bringing honor to Pakistan as a filmmaker.

She is also the first non-American to win the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. She won an Academy Award for her documentary Saving Face in 2012. com’s list of the 50 Coolest Desis of 2009.