(24) How film transforms the way we see the world | Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy – YouTube

My research question is how do films impact people for the better? I personally feel like films can impact people in many different ways. I think films can make people a better person and even branch out to many different things that they never thought they would do before.  As I research this question, I found a YouTube video a women named Sharmen Obaid-Chinoy had a TED talk about how she documented violence against women in Pakistan. Her film was about honor killing, honor killings are when men punish women who transgress rules made by them It is much known as murder. She found a woman that miraculously survived being shot in the face, but there was a loophole in the law that allowed victims to forgive their perpetrators enabling them to avoid jail time. She kept fighting but she eventually forgave them. So, they used their film to change the way people perceived honor killings. The film went on to win an Academy Award. After months of campaigning, the loophole was finally closed but women were continuing to be killed.  They set little theaters for everyone in small villages to see the film so they can join the fray. They introduced them to films that opened up their minds to world views and also encouraging children to build critical thinking. In this YouTube video Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy states ” In another village where the screening was shut down, a plainclothes policeman got up and ordered it back on, telling everyone It was his duty to expose the young minds to an alternative worldview and to this content”. She also states ” In another town, where the men said that only they could watch, and the women had to stay home, a community elder got up, got a group of people together, had a discussion, and then both men and women sat down to watch it together. “.  In these quotes she is telling us how these film shave impacted the people of the small villages and want to do better and help others learn about this cruel world and what we could do to make it better. I love these quotes because it connects to my research question and show how these films make us better. Even as the writers of these movies these people are going out their way set up small theaters for people that aren’t able to go to see films. Films make us come together to fight the good fight.