Stories From An African Perspective

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Stories from an African perspective

DECEMBER 9 | Special Screening of the Award-Winning Film MEDIHA

 


 

Please join us for this film screening and discussion hosted by
The United Nations Association of New York

Mediha

Hasan Oswald
Director and Producer

Mediha Alhamad
Main Participant and Cinematographer

Moderated by
Susanna Petrin
Journalist

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Monday | 9 December 2024 | 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Admission:
UNA Members: $10
Non-Members: $15

New Plaza Cinema @Macaulay Honors College
35 West 67 Street
New York, NY 10023

6:30 p.m. |  Film Screening
8:00 p.m. |  Q+A

Screening begins promptly at 6:30 p.m. followed by a Q+A panel discussion

NOTE: the New Plaza Cinema is located inside Macaulay Honors College. Theater policy for attendees: there is no food/beverage, other than water, allowed in the screening room.

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Register for this event here


MEDIHA is the story of one girl’s fight to find her missing family members, revealing the strength and determination of a young survivor as she reclaims her voice and future. From executive producer Emma Thompson, this award-winning film from Hasan Oswald is an incredible story of resilience.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize | 2023 Doc NYC

Mediha, a 15-year-old Yazidi girl, roams the fields surrounding a refugee camp in Northern Iraq with a camera, making intimate, poignant video diaries. Captured by ISIS and sold into sex slavery at age 9, Mediha was traded among four different men, while her mother went missing, her younger brothers were also enslaved, and her entire community systematically murdered.

Director Hasan Oswald sensitively tracks the devastating aftermath of her escape and survival, empowering Mediha to share her experience through her own eyes and voice, as she seeks legal justice with the help of Yazidi rescuers and mounts a courageous search for her mother, and most of all, fighting for healing.

Mediha Alhamad was an integral part of the making of the documentary. She filmed herself and her family for three years, bringing the audience into the most authentic telling of her story, with a courage and determination beyond her years.

Emma Thompson, one of the film’s executive producers, said that she was “so honored to be a small part of this incredible film, which shines a light on forgotten voices and overlooked injustices. From the earliest versions I watched, I could see how gracefully and empathetically made the film was.”

Selected for many international film festivals, Mediha went on to win many Grand Jury as well as Audience Award prizes, including at the DOC NYC Festival.

We invite you to attend our special screening of this powerful film, when we will be honored to have both Hasan Oswald and Mediha Ibrahim Alhamad, the film’s director and subject, present after the film for an interaction with the audience. The conversation will be moderated by journalist Susanna Petrin.

For more information, visit the event page