In 2011, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy became the first Pakistani filmmaker to get an Oscar for her Saving Face, a grim documentary on acid attack victims in her country. This year, she repeated history by winning the same award for A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness.
The film tackles the prevalence of honour killings in Pakistan, which result in around 1,000 women annually, with the perpetrators being primarily male relatives. It follows the story of 18-year-old Saba Qaiser, a rare survivor who was attacked by her father for getting married without their consent. The two shot her in the head and threw her into the river. Fortunately, Qaiser survived and managed to find her way to help.
In her award acceptance speech, Obaid-Chinoy highlighted the role of cinema in bringing about social change. "This is what happens when determined women get together," she said, thanking her film's protagonist, producers and the men "who want a more just society for women."
Despite Qaiser pressing charges against the perpetrators, she was ultimately forced to forgive them due to societal pressures and a law that allows relatives to forgive the honour killing.
These loopholes may now be fixed partly due to the impact of A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness. In her Oscars speech, Obaid-Chinoy referred to Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif's recent decision to change the law on honour killings after the film was got an Oscar nomination. "That is the power of film," she concluded.
The award-winning filmmaker and journalist has said that her film's achievement lies in opening a discussion around honour killings in Pakistan, where the issue remains a private affair. Before the Oscars, she tweeted, "Whether we win or not, we should be proud that we have started a national discourse about honour killings. We should also be proud that the government has acknowledged the problem and is working on tougher legislation."
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness premieres on HBO on Mar. 7.