The Afro News Vancouver
An amazing documentary is premiering at the Victoria Film Festival! It is stories like these that show the power of coming together and the results for good. They makes such a positive difference in the world and gives us hope. Please share this with as many people as possible.
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is pleased to present the BC premiere of Andrea Dorfman’s new documentary, The Girls of Meru at the 2019 Victoria Film Festival.
Thursday | February 7 | 6:00 PM | Parkside VFF Program Guide Online
Acclaimed filmmaker Andrea Dorfman follows a remarkable collaboration over five years to tell the heartbreaking yet uplifting story of the girls of Meru and their brave steps toward meaningful equality for girls everywhere.
In Kenya, one in three girls will experience sexual violence before the age of 18, yet police investigations into the crime are the exception rather than the rule, leading to a culture of impunity around rape. But a courageous group of girls has helped set a legal precedent for child protection worldwide.
In The Girls of Meru, a multinational team led by Canadian lawyer Fiona Sampson and Tumaini Shelter head Mercy Chidi Baidoo builds the case of 11 girls to pursue an unheard legal tactic. They challenge the Kenyan government to uphold its highly praised constitution and to hold police accountable.
The Kenyan high court responds in record time. And the real work begins.
*The Girls of Meru is a profound depiction of the fight for human rights, in this case, the rights of girl children, to live freely without the reality and threat of sexual violence. This film poses a challenge to everyone in the world to stand and protect the rights of the most vulnerable in our midst.”
– Naa Afua Dadesen Cooper, Ph.D., 2018 Halifax Poet Laureate.
*“The big heroes of this film are the little girls whose horrific experiences managed to change the law and protect thousands of other victims from suffering the same fate.”
– Judy Kibinge, award-winning Kenyan filmmaker, writer and producer
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/238115350
Official Selection:
FIN Atlantic International Film Festival 2018.
Source: The National Film Board Publicist: Katja De Bock.
