Sonita - True/False Film Fest

Sonita

Dead-set against being sold as a bride, a feisty Afghan refugee breaks loose to become a rapper.
Director: Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami
Runtime: 1:30
In-person: dir. Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami & star Sonita Alizadeh
Fest Year: 2016
The 14-year-old Sonita dreams of another life. An Afghan refugee in Iran who works as a cleaner at the refugee center that doubles as a school, she imagines herself a rapper — the spiritual daughter of Michael Jackson and Rihanna. Not exactly your typical refugee. So when her mother summons her home to sell her as a bride, Sonita looks for any way out of a future she dreads. Enter Rokhsareh Ghaemmagami, an intrepid filmmaker torn between documenting Sonita’s struggle and her protective desire to help. This tension elevates the film by calling into question many assumptions about the making of documentary films, producing in their journey together one of the most joyful, inspiring stories ever to play at True/False. (DW) Presented by The Crossing