When ISIS devastated her Yazidi community in 2014, survivor Nadia Murad became the predominant voice for her people. ISIS militants invaded her village in Iraq, killed hundreds of people, and kidnapped Murad and other women, holding them as sex slaves. After she escaped, Murad dedicated her life to speaking out against the atrocity. On Her Shoulders follows the 23-year-old as she recounts her harrowing experience time and again, speaking to reporters and diplomats, giving speeches at rallies, and even addressing the United Nations general assembly. We see the substantial preparations these opportunities require, the exhausting barrage of questions, and the uncomfortable ways some listeners choose to respond. Even as she strives for change and powerfully inspires audiences around the world, she’s living a life she’d never envisioned, and the effects of trauma—and of this existence—are lasting. Documenting the quiet moments between public appearances, this film intimately details the burden of imploring the world to intervene.  ST

Q&A following screening