KARACHI (PAKISTAN) – The story of three women’s struggle against violence induced upon them is featured in an Emmy-nominated movie, and the film is an ode to womanhood. Filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is hopeful that the film will inspire other women.
Obaid-Chinoy, winner of two Oscars and seven previous Emmys, said the film titled “Freedom Fighters” is the telltale of an elite police officer Saima Sharif, former child bride Tabassum Adnan, and Syed Ghulam Fatima, an activist who took on the brick industry.
Obaid-Chinoy said each of the three women’s lives were moulded by the experiences they have been subjected to, which prompted them to push for change. “We need leaders like these three, emerging from the grassroots, from the neighbourhood and communities they come from and work in, and who are invested in them,” she said.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent watchdog, in its annual report of 2019 said that “despite legislation enacted to protect and promote women’s rights in recent years, violence against women has escalated”.
Obaid-Chinoy, the first Pakistani to win an Academy Award for her 2012 film “Saving Face”. The film was inspired by the life of acid victim Fakhra Younus. “Freedom Fighters” takes forward her drive to narrate the inspiring stories of resilient Pakistani women.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.