A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Film poster
Directed bySharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Produced byTina Brown
Production
companies
SOC Films
HBO Documentary Films
Distributed byHBO
Release date
  • October 28, 2015 (2015-10-28)
Running time
40 minutes
CountryUS/Pakistan
LanguagesEnglish, Punjabi

A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (Urdu: دریا میں ایک لڑکی: معافی کی قیمت) is a 2015 documentary film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy about honor killings in Pakistan. The film is produced by Tina Brown and Sheila Nevins in collaboration with HBO Documentary Films.[1] A Girl in the River was edited by Geof Bartz, A.C.E. The documentary earned widespread critical acclaim. A Girl in the River was shortlisted with ten other documentaries from 74 entries submitted to 88th Academy Awards in Documentary Short Subject category,[2][3] which it won.[4]

Synopsis

The documentary follows the story of a nineteen-year-old girl who survives an honor killing attempt by her father and uncle.[5] The protagonist has a solid stance on not forgiving her attackers, but the public pressures her into forgiving. By doing that, the attackers are freed and can return home.[6]

Release

The film was released on October 28, 2015, and had its worldwide premiere on HBO on March 7, 2016.[7]

Reaction

The movie received mixed reviews in Pakistan.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

It won the Oscar for Best Documentary and convinced the Pakistani government to review its laws on honor killings.[20]

Awards and nominations

Awards
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipients and nominees Result
Academy Award February 28, 2016 Best Documentary Short Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy [21] Won

References

  1. ^ "Sharmeen's documentary shortlisted for Oscar nomination". Arab News. October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  2. ^ "10 DOC SHORTS ON OSCAR'S 2015 SHORTLIST". Oscars.org. October 26, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  3. ^ "'A Girl in the River': Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's new documentary shortlisted for Oscar". Natalie Kojen. the News Teller. October 27, 2015. Archived from the original on October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  4. ^ Johnson, Zach (January 14, 2016). "Oscars 2016 Nominations: Complete List of Nominees". E! Online. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  5. ^ "sharmeen obaid chinoys a girl in the river shortlisted for Oscar nomination". Daily Pakistan. October 26, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  6. ^ "'A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness' Summary & Analysis - Our Own Reflection | DMT". Digital Mafia Talkies. 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  7. ^ "Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's A Girl in the River shortlisted for Oscar". The Express Tribune. October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  8. ^ "After Oscar Win, Pakistani Filmmaker Sees Online Backlash Over 'Honor Killings'". NBC News. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Why Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy made A Girl in the River". 15 March 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  10. ^ "Our distorted sense of 'honour'". Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Oscar-nominated documentary about "honor killings" exposes filmmaker to witch hunt". 24 February 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  12. ^ "You have done us proud, Sharmeen! - The Express Tribune". 27 February 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  13. ^ "Pakistan acid victims try to block Saving Face film". BBC News. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  14. ^ "Social media reacts to Sharmeen Obaid's second Oscar win". 29 February 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  15. ^ "A Powerful Documentary About Pakistan's Honor Killings". The New Yorker. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  16. ^ Clark, Alex (14 February 2016). "The case of Saba Qaiser and the film-maker determined to put an end to 'honour' killings". The Observer. Retrieved 4 January 2017 – via The Guardian.
  17. ^ writer, Raza Habib Raja Freelance; Student, PhD (19 April 2016). "Sharmeen Chinoy, Malala and the international image of Pakistan". HuffPost. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  18. ^ "Pakistan: The Shame Of It All - Newsweek Middle East". 24 February 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  19. ^ "Dailytimes - Review: A Girl in the River - The Price of Forgiveness". 4 April 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  20. ^ "Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy wins second Oscar Award". Daily Pakistan Global. 29 February 2016.
  21. ^ "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" winning Best Documentary Short-Oscars on YouTube

External links

HBO documentaries
Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film
Honor killing events
Categories