Sonita

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Closing Night – Screening followed by discussion with filmmaker Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami and Liesl Gerntholtz, Women’s Rights division director, HRW

Winner of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary and World Cinema Audience Award for Documentary, SONITA is about a determined and animated Afghan teen living in Tehran, who dreams of being a famous rapper. But in Iran, the government doesn’t let girls sing solo. And in her Afghan home she is expected to become a teenage bride. With her family keen to marry her off to receive her dowry, tradition bears down on Sonita. Armed with nothing but passion and persistence, she must turn obstacle into opportunity.

“This film depicts extremely well the circumstances that lead girls in Afghanistan to flee forced and child marriages, as well as the difficulty Afghan girls and women face when they have encountered more liberal cultures through their lives as refugees, but are expected to comply with Afghan gender norms.” – Heather Barr, senior researcher, Women’s Rights Division

• Country Iran/Germany/Switzerland
• Language English and Farsi with English subtitles
• Year 2015
• Running Time 90 minutes
• Director Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.