With all the buzz of Leo’s big win this past weekend and the tension behind the Oscars race controversy, there were some things that slipped our notice that are crucial to pull back into the spotlight (that’s an Oscars pun for you). Between the multiple "Mad Max: Fury Road"wins, stunning artist performances, and empowering acceptance speeches, the Oscar winner for Best Documentary (Short Subject) seemed to hardly capture the attention of the millions who tuned in to watch.
It's very likely that you don’t even know who won. You don’t know the heart-wrenching story behind that shiny gold award. "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinory was the 2016 Oscar Winner for Documentary (Short Subject). The 40 minute documentary program tells the story of eighteen-year-old Saba from Pakistan. She fell in love. Eloped. And was almost killed by her own family because of it. Saba was almost one of the nearly 1,000 girls and women in Pakistan who are victims of honor killings in Pakistan each year. Her own father and uncle tried to kill her by shooting her and leaving her body in the river because she dishonored her family through her marriage. But Saba survived to tell her story.
A mere 40 minutes of hearing Saba’s story will put you on the edge of your seat and leave you sobbing and angry at the injustices she has faced at her young age. I had never really considered how privileged I was until hearing Saba’s story. I am a woman. I have the ability to choose who I want to marry. I am never in any danger from my own family because of who I am. I don’t have to question my own beliefs. I am confident that I have a voice.
Except for that is not the case for many people—especially women—and I acknowledge that. Saba was determined to take her father and her uncle to court and to get the justice she deserved. Every woman deserves to be loved by her family. To be protected. To feel safe. In Pakistan, however, the accused in cases of honor killings can be fully pardoned if they are granted forgiveness by the victims. Saba is pressured and threatened to be ostracized by her community members if she did not forgive or pardon her father and uncle. She was left with no choice.
"I forgive them [her father and uncle] for the world," Saba said in the film. "I forgive them because of family pressure, because of societal pressure. But in my heart, they will always be unforgiven.”
"A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" is a story of cruel injustice. But there’s hope on the horizon and that’s why this Oscar winner needs more recognition. Obaid-Chinoy said in her acceptance speech that the Pakistani Prime Minister had been influenced by the film and would work to change the laws on honor killings.
She concluded by saying, "This is what happens when determined women get together. That is the power of film."
