KNOXVILLE — Filmmaker and women’s rights activist Diana Saqeb will lead a discussion following the showing of 25 Percent, her documentary about female members of the Afghan Parliament, on April 12 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m. in the Toyota Auditorium of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, 1640 Cumberland Ave. Saqeb’s visit is sponsored by Ready for the World, the Baker Center, the UT Issues Committee and the Alliance of Women Philanthropists.
A member of the Afghanistan Cinema Club, Saqeb holds a degree in art and film and has worked as a production manager for 1TV. She now heads the monthly art magazine, Theme.
In 2009, Saqeb, then 28, led the first public women’s rights protest in Afghanistan since the 1970s, and she celebrated when President Karzai promised to amend the Shia Family Law which had legalized Taliban-era abuses of women.
Her first documentary, 25 Darsad (25 Percent), has been shown at festivals in Krakow, Guangzhou, and Sweden, as well as in the UK, at the Swedish and Norwegian Parliaments, and at the International Security Assistance Force Camp in Mazar-e-Sharif. The film received an award at the International Film Festival of Cambodia.
CONTACT:
Amy Blakely, (865-974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu)