Malala Yousafzai, the youngest person to ever earn a Nobel prize, is now the subject of a David Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman) directed documentary (set for U.S. release on October 2), and a new, poignant trailer for the film was released today.
As a preteen, she became an unstoppable human rights activist, whose writing was read internationally when she published an account of life under Taliban rule through the BBC (under a pseudonym), speaking against the Taliban’s restrictive policies about girls attending school in her region of Northern Pakistan. After she emerged from anonymity and became a known figure through increasing publicity, she began to receive death threats online and through physical letters at her home. She was eventually targeted by a Taliban assassin, who shot her in the head; she was moved to a hospital in England, where she recovered, and, with international support, thereafter began touring the world with her advocacy for girls’ rights, speaking in front of the United Nations, Harvard University, and the Obamas, to name a few.
Malala has become, to an extent, the known face of a new generation of peacemakers and oppression-fighters worldwide. Following the Charleston shootings, Jon Stewart introduced her, saying “there’s no one I’d rather talk to tonight than Malala.” Here’s the official description of Guggenheim’s documentary:
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman) shows us how Malala, her father Zia and her family are committed to fighting for education for all girls worldwide. The film gives us an inside glimpse into this extraordinary young girl’s life — from her close relationship with her father who inspired her love for education, to her impassioned speeches at the UN, to her everyday life with her parents and brothers.
Watch the new trailer here, or an earlier trailer for the film, released in June, below:
And here’s an earlier Yousafzai’s interview with Jon Stewart: