Sabiha Sumar has earned acclaim for her independent films, which deal with political and social issues such as the effects of
religious fundamentalism on society, and especially on women. Sumar's main interest has been on addressing primarily Pakistani women's place in the world and how different aspects of society have affected them over the past several decades. Sumar's first documentary,
Who Will Cast the First Stone, deals with the state of three women in prison in Pakistan under the Hudood Ordinances. The latter is a theme she explores in her other work as well, namely
For a Place Under the Heavens. Sumar continues in the tradition of
Partition cinema, among the likes of
Deepa Mehta, Kamal Hasan, and Chadraprakash Dwivdei.
Khamosh Pani won fourteen international awards. It won Best Screenplay at the third
KaraFilm Festival in 2003. Sumar won the
Golden Leopard for Best Film at the
Locarno International Film Festival. She also won the Audience Award and Silver Montgolfiere at the
Nantes Three Continents Festival.
Khamosh Pani is a First Run title endorsed by the
Human Rights Watch. Sumar faced difficulty finding places to screen the film in Pakistan due to its controversial themes. Sumar organised forty-one free screenings of the film across Pakistan. The film sparked a controversy regarding the main character’s suicide after its screening at the
Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. == Personal life ==