Malala competes in Oscars race with short documentary 'Stranger at the Gate'
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is going to the Oscars. The activist is executive producer of the short documentary film 'Stranger at the Gate'.
Distributed by the New Yorker magazine, the film tells the story of Mac, whose view of the Muslim community is radically changed when community member Bibi Barhami introduces him to her culture with kindness.
"t is so important that we talk about connections, we talk about the importance of our values, including compassion and kindness towards others," Malala told Reuters at the Oscars Luncheon on February 13.
Yousafzai was keen to point out that fear and discrimination are not limited to the community portrayed in the film.
"Minorities, vulnerable communities face this day to day based on their identity, whether that's their skin colour, their gender, their religion," she said. "This is so important that we spread the message of this documentary and I think, I hope people will start a discussion about the role of media perceptions and the institutions as well and I think hopefully we will see a change as well."
The film spoke to Malala as it reminded her of her father Ziauddin Yousafzai, who is also an education activist.
"When I think about Bibi's role, it reminds me of my father. He was asked about Islamophobia and why Muslims are portrayed negatively and his answer was that rather than knowing a Muslim through what you see on your television screen, you should go and knock on the door of your Muslim neighbour, talk to them, spend time with them, have dinner with them, have a conversation and it applies to everyone and that's what Bibi did. She invited Mac. She said let's talk, let's have dinner, let's spend some time together. That's when you realize that you have a lot more in common, you have the same values, you have the same compassion and that changes everything," she said.
In 2012, the now 25-year-old survived being shot in the head by a Pakistani Taliban gunman after she was targeted for her campaign against the Taliban's efforts to deny women education. She subsequently became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her education advocacy.
The Oscars winners will be announced on March 12.
Reuters
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