One of the most powerful speeches at the Academy Awards this past weekend was the one delivered by Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy as she accepted her second Oscar. Sharmeen received the award for Best Documentary Short for her unflinching look at honor killings in A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness. And as she took the stage, she triumphantly declared, “This is what happens when determined women get together.”
Image via TheNews.com
According to The New York Times, Sharmeen also shared:
“This week the Pakistani prime minister has said that he will change the law on honor killing after watching this film,” she told the assembled artists at the 88th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. “That is the power of film.”
Sharmeen’s documentary is incredibly powerful. And her statement is so beautifully put – it truly is incredible when determined women get together and decide to become empowered and in charge of their own fate.
“Women like Ms. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy are not only a pride for the Pakistani nation, but are also a significant contribution to the society,” said Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif as he congratulated her for the win.
Watch Sharmeen’s inspiring speech below:
