GameChanging Filmmakers
 

We at GC360 loooove to read. So much so that we're often accused of being “reading addicts.” However, we also recognize that the written word isn’t the only way to get the word out about important issues like gender-based violence, honor killings, female genital cutting, and rape as a weapon of war. Film, theater, music and a variety of other artistic mediums also pack a punch when it comes to enlightening the masses.
 
This month we want to draw attention to some filmmakers whom you should know about (if you don’t already): Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Lisa F. Jackson, and Paula Kweskin. They're doing incredible work by discussing topics that most folks shy away from. It’s not easy to hear about women and girls being murdered to protect a family’s honor, or women who are targeted for rape and other violent assaults by soldiers as a tactic to win a war. Nor do most people want to hear about the cutting of girls’ genitals to ensure that they are pure and remain modest. But if positive change is going to happen, we need to know.
 
Thank you Sharmeen, Lisa, and Paula for telling these difficult stories. We need to hear them.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy


Photo credit: A Celebration of Women

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has produced award-winning films in more than 10 countries tackling issues like child terrorists and female survivors of acid attacks. She is currently on a mission to stop honor killings in her home country Pakistan.  Her most recent (and Academy Award-winning) film A Girl in the River is based on the true story of 19-year-old Saba who was beaten, shot, and thrown into a river by her family because she ran off to marry her fiancé whom her family rejected because he was too poor. She survived the attack and the film talks about her experience with the police and court system and the pressure from her family to drop her charges against them.

Take some time to learn more about Sharmeen’s powerful films.