Across Every Doorway Honours Polio Workers
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s new documentary Across Every Doorway honours the women who carry Pakistan’s fight against polio. SOC Films launched the film on World Polio Day, October 24, 2026, following four women working in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Islamabad.
The film follows the people whose daily work keeps the eradication effort alive. It shows them preparing vaccination teams, checking campaigns, visiting reluctant households and testing samples in laboratories. Through their stories, it records the effort behind protecting every child: overcoming refusals, countering misinformation, building trust and tracking the virus, often in difficult circumstances.
Four women, four cities
In Karachi, the film follows Fouzia Ahmed, a Union Council Area Supervisor with the WHO Polio Programme. She prepares vaccination teams, engages local officials and visits households that are reluctant to vaccinate their children. A mother herself, Fouzia brings personal conviction to work in which colleagues face insults, misinformation and concerns for their safety.
In Rawalpindi, Dr Shumaila Akbar, an Area Coordinator with the WHO Polio Programme, provides oversight by monitoring campaigns, verifying standards and identifying gaps. Her story also reflects the determination needed to work irregular hours and travel for her duties while meeting expectations around women’s roles.
In Peshawar, Laiba Ijaz, a Community Health Worker in Union Council Lahori, works to ensure no child is overlooked, including newborns and children from families that recently moved into the area. She left school to support her family when her father fell ill and later died, and work taken up out of necessity grew into a commitment to her community.
In Islamabad, Dr Riqba Akhtar, a Virology and Immunology Laboratory Scientist, shows how environmental and human samples are tested for traces of poliovirus. Her work connects scientific surveillance with action in the field, giving findings that help shape campaign oversight and the wider eradication effort.
Why Across Every Doorway matters for Pakistan
“Behind every door is a family, a conversation, and a child whose future deserves to be protected,” said Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, founder and chief executive of SOC Films. She said the film honours the courage of women working to protect children from polio, often in the face of immense challenges, and reminds the world that the responsibility to protect every child belongs to all of us.
The film also examines how mistrust, online rumours, social pressures and operational problems shape vaccination campaigns. It highlights the slow work of winning support from doctors, religious leaders and local authorities, showing how sustained dialogue can change minds and open doors.
Pakistan still reports polio cases, and the film lands at a sensitive moment. A six-month-old baby in Karachi tested positive earlier in October, and the city’s case tally reached seven for the year. On World Polio Day itself, Rotary reaffirmed its commitment to ending polio in Pakistan. The documentary adds a human face to those numbers, showing the workers behind each campaign round.
When audiences can watch it
The documentary will be released in November 2026. A teaser is available on SOC Films’ Instagram page. The film closes with a message that sums up its subjects: “Every drop counts. Every child matters. That is why we keep going.”
Obaid-Chinoy is a two-time Academy Award winner, and her documentaries have long focused on the lives of Pakistani women. Dengue cases also surged in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa this month, a reminder that front-line health workers across the country carry heavy loads. Across Every Doorway puts one group of those workers at the centre of the story.
Who directed Across Every Doorway?
Two-time Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy directed the documentary through SOC Films.
Who are the four women featured?
Fouzia Ahmed in Karachi, Dr Shumaila Akbar in Rawalpindi, Laiba Ijaz in Peshawar and Dr Riqba Akhtar in Islamabad.
When will the film be released?
The documentary will be released in November 2026, after its launch on World Polio Day, October 24, 2026.
What does the film cover?
It follows polio workers preparing teams, monitoring campaigns, visiting households and testing samples, and it explores refusals, misinformation and trust-building in vaccination campaigns.
