Last updated: 9 November 2026
Biography
Mobeen Ansari is a photographer, filmmaker, and visual artist based in Islamabad, Pakistan. A graduate of the National College of Arts (BFA), he has built a distinctive practice centred on storytelling, capturing the spirit of Pakistan and its people through a poetic and deeply human lens. As a photojournalist, his work focuses on human interest narratives, with an emphasis on global health, migration, and climate change. His Instagram profile, @mobeenansariphoto, had 27,874 followers as of November 2026.
Education
- BFA — National College of Arts
Life Events
- 2019 – Excellence in Photography Award from the Hamdan Bin Mohammed International Photography Award.
Work Experience
Ansari is the author of three photography books: his debut Dharkan: The Heartbeat of a Nation, a collection of portraits of iconic Pakistanis; White in the Flag, about the lives and festivities of religious minorities in Pakistan; and Miraas, a study of cultural identity and legacy. He is currently working on a forthcoming publication featuring landscapes and street photography spanning seventeen years. His films include two silent short films, Hellhole, a black-and-white portrayal of a sanitation worker's life, and Lady of the Emerald Scarf, the story of Aziza, a carpet maker from Gulmit in northern Pakistan. His work has been exhibited in Pakistan and internationally, including in the UK, Italy, China, Iraq, the US and the UAE, and has been showcased in Times Square, New York, and at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore.
Achievements
- Excellence in Photography Award from the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid International Photography Award (September 2019)
- Swedish Red Cross Journalism Prize (2023)
- named one of the world's leading photojournalists at Xposure International Photography Festival (September 2019)
- Best Short Documentary nomination at the NYC Independent Film Festival (2017)
- Best Short Film (non fiction) for Hellhole, Pakistan Calling Film Festival (November 2016)
- Shield of Chief of Army Staff, Pakistan (June 2016)
- Photographer of the Year, NCA Rawalpindi (2010)
References
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