Sunday, May 7, 2017

Winning streak: Sharmeen’s ‘The Price of Forgiveness’ wins Robert F Kennedy award

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy continues her winning streak as her documentary 'A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness' won an award at the 49th Annual Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards.

The documentary, which narrates the story of a girl who narrowly avoids an honour-killing attempt, had already landed Sharmeen her second Oscar Award.

The much-discussed documentary bagged the Television award under the International category.

The Robert F Kennedy Journalism Awards were launched in 1968 by a group of journalists. "The RFK Journalism Awards recognise writing in the public interest on the issues of poverty, political inclusion, and justice. The twelve award categories honor exceptional works of journalism and social critique in many forms including documentary film, photography, radio, and cartoons," states the official website.

Sharmeen's documentary had received the Academy Award in the category of Best Documentary (Short Subject) at a star-studded ceremony in Hollywood in March, 2016.

"A Girl in the River" brought to the world the story of Saba—the woman who had dared to love and marry a man of her choice in a society where absurd notions of honour stop women from exercising this basic right.

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy's award-winning documentary narrates Saba's ordeal at the hands of her father and uncle, who shot and dumped her body in a river after her marriage. That she survived was almost miraculous, and more praiseworthy was her resolve to campaign against "honour" killing.

Sharmeed Obaid holds a rare distinction of being among the nine women film directors in the world to have won Oscars for non-fiction films.

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