A Thousand Girls Like Me

Center for Documentary Studies Filmmaker Award 2019

NEW DOCS

In a region where violence against women is the norm and publicly identifying their assailants can be punishable under the law, one woman, Khatera, does the unthinkable and takes to court the man who repeatedly raped her and fathered her two children—her father. Despite a 2009 law penalizing abuse against women in Afghanistan and repeated attempts to file charges, Khatera is unsuccessful until this 2014 victory in a broken legal system. Through painful but necessary conversations, Khatera and her mother steadily move toward healing from the violent decisions of their shared abuser. Here, Khatera continues to be an agent of her own truth and fearlessly shares her story in a trustful exchange with Afghan filmmaker Sahra Mani. Despite constant death threats and beatings from members of her own family, Khatera refuses to remain silent in hopes of ending the cycle of rape, fear, and violence for her children and for the thousands of Afghani girls like her.  TD

Encore 4 – 5:20 pm in Cinema 3

Director

Sahra Mani

Producers

Nicole Levigne, Khosraw Mani, Sahra Mani, Martin Vidalenc

Editor

Giles Gardner

Cinematographer

Sahra Mani

Release Year

2018

Festival Year

2019

Country

France, Afghanistan

Run Time

80 minutes

Subtitled

Yes