A THOUSAND GIRLS LIKE ME

DIRECTOR: Sahra Mani   COUNTRY: Frankreich, Afghanistan   YEAR: 2018   LANGUAGE: Farsi   SUBTITLES: Englisch   RUNNING TIME: 80 min

SCREENING WITH Q&A WITH DIRECTOR SAHRA MANI

SYNOPSIS
A THOUSAND GIRLS LIKE ME is an awe-inspiring vérité documentary that tells the story of a young Afghan woman’s brave fight to seek justice and protect her children after experiencing years of abuse at the hands of her father Khatera Golzad’s father physically and sexually abused her for more than thirteen years, and after several aborted pregnancies, she gave birth to a daughter and a son. Despite her many attempts to file charges, neither the Afghan police nor the legal system helped her. In 2014, she appeared on national television to publicly accuse her father, finally succeeding in bringing her case to court despite threats from male relatives and judges who labelled her a liar.
Shedding light on the broken Afghan judicial system and the women it seldom protects, A THOUSAND GIRLS LIKE ME is the story of one woman’s battle against cultural, familial, and legal pressures as she embarks on a mission to set a positive example for her daughter and other girls like her.
In a country where the systematic abuse of girls is rarely discussed, Afghan filmmaker Sahra Mani’s film is ultimately a story of bravery, love, hope and resilience.

Director’s Statement
Every woman in this country has a hundred owners. Fathers, brothers, uncles, neighbors. They all believe they have the right to speak on our behalf and make decisions for us. That’s why our stories are never heard, but buried with us.

WEBSITE
https://athousandgirlslike.me/

SAHRA MANI

Sahra Mani grew up as an Afghan refugee in Iran. She studied Documentary at the University of the Arts in London. She is founder of the Afghanistan Doc House and Anahat Vision and Films production company. In her work, she focuses on the political structures of her home country. Sahra Mani won the NIHRFF Audience Award 2019 with A THOUSAND GIRLS LIKE ME.

FILMOGRAPHY
Kaloo School (2012), Beyond The Burkha (2014), A Thousand Girls Like Me (2018)

SCRIPT: Sahra Mani PRODUCER: Sahra Mani   CINEMATOGRAPHY: Sahra Mani EDITOR: Giles Gardner

CONTACTS
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Afghanistan Doc House   WORLD SALES: First Hand Films

HAVA, MARYAM, AYESHA

DIRECTOR: Sahraa Karimi COUNTRY: Afghanistan YEAR: 2019 LANGUAGE: dari SUBTITLES: German RUNNING TIME: 86 min

SCREENING AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR SAHRAA KARIMI

SYNOPSIS
Three Afghan women from different social background, living in Kabul, are facing a big challenge in their lives. Hava, a traditional pregnant woman whom no one cares about, is living with her father and mother in law. Her only joy is talking to the baby in her belly. Maryam, an educated TV news reporter, is about to get a divorce from her unfaithful husband, but finds out she is pregnant. Ayesha, an 18-year old girl accepts to marry her cousin because she is pregnant from her boyfriend who disappears after hearing the news. Each of them has to solve her problem by herself for the first time.

SAHRAA KARIMI
Sahraa Karimi ist die einzige promovierte Filmwissenschaftlerin Afghanistans und Leiterin des Instituts Afghan Film. Sie wurde Born in 1985, Sahraa Karimi comes from the second generation of Afghan refugees in Iran. At the age of fifteen, she played as an actress in two Iranian films which brought her to study cinema in Slovakia and graduated with a PHD of directing. During these years, she has made more than 30 short fictions and documentaries, some of which won numerous awards in international film festivals.
After 10 years of making many shorts and documentaries, she returned to Kabul. She made two documentaries there which were successful internationally and were broadcasted through ARTE France and BBC. “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” is her first feature film which was shot entirely in Kabul with Afghan actors. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival 2019.

FILMOGRAPHY
Searching For a Dream (2004), Chris: Paulina (2007), Simona (2007), Light Breeze, Memoirs from the Diary of an Emigrant (2009), Afghan Women Behind the Wheel (2010), Parlika: A Woman in the Land of Men (2016), Hava, Maryam, Ayesha (2019)

SCRIPT: Sahraa Karimi, Sami Hasib Nabizada PRODUCERS: Katayoon Shahabi, Sahraa Karimi CINEMATOGRAHPY: Behrouz Badrouj EDITOR: Mastaneh Mohajer WITH: Hasiba Ebrahimi, Fereshta Afshar, Arezoo Ariapoor

CONTACTS
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Noori Pictures (Katysh.01@gmail.com) WORLD SALES: Noori Pictures (Katysh.01@gmail.com)

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