Afghan female filmmaker receives prestigious award

Roya Sadat, a prominent Afghan filmmaker, is among 10 women from across the world to be awarded the annual International Women of Courage Award.

Sadat received her award during a ceremony on 23 March at the US Department of State, attended by the First Lady of the United States.
Addressing the ceremony, First Lady Melania Trump praised the bravery and determination of the winning women.
“The women of courage we honor here today are heroes,” Melania Trump said, according to Tolo News.

She added that the award winners were also role models to children, especially girls, in their respective countries.
Roya Sadat was born in Herat province in 1981. She always dreamed of becoming filmmaker. Even the Taliban could not stop her from pursuing her dreams, with Sadat writing her first film script, Three Dots, when the Taliban were still in power.

In 2003, Sadat founded Roya Film House. Since then she has produced more than 30 documentaries, films and television shows, focusing on the realities of life for Afghan women and girls and telling their stories. In 2013, Sadat founded the Afghanistan International Women’s Film Festival to promote women filmmakers and the empowerment of Afghan women through art.

Acting Under Secretary Heather Nauert, who hosted the awards ceremony, said that the winning women had all faced many challenges throughout their life but that they never gave up.

“This year we have recognized 10 extraordinary women who have demonstrated not only courage and leadership, but a deep resolve to fight day in and day out for what they believe,” Nauert told the audience, according to news reports.

The International Women of Courage Award recognizes women around the world who have demonstrated courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, often at personal risk and sacrifice.

Nauert added that Roya Sadat is being honoured for refusing to be silenced in Afghanistan. She uses cinema and art to raise awareness of the challenges facing women and girls, despite threats to herself, her cast and her crew.

The other nine award winners this year came from Guatemala, Honduras, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mauritania, Rwanda and Thailand.

Photo credit: U.S. Department of State Flickr account
Caption: First Lady Melania Trump Presents the 2018 IWOC Award to Roya Sadat of Afghanistan