The highly anticipated documentary "He Named Me Malala" about Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai is expected to be released in the United States on Oct. 2 and in the UAE in November, according to production company Image Nation Abu Dhabi, which is co-producing the film.
The film documents the intimate life of the world-famous Pakistani teenager who miraculously survived a serious injury in her fight for girls' right to education when she was shot by a Taliban gunman while returning home from school in Pakistan’s Swat Valley in October 2012.
The attack sparked national and international outrage and support for Yousafzai, who has gone on to continue her strong advocacy for women and children's education, be named one of TIME's The 100 Most Influential People in The World and also became the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
The big budget documentary that will show her life before and after the attack was directed by Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim, who produced and directed "An Inconvenient Truth." The film takes a closer look at the young woman's life to paint a portrait of her as not just an international hero, but a 17-year old girl.
“Not only do we get to know Malala, the moral force that she is, but we also see the human side of her – her interactions with her family, the way she interacts with her brother. It’s an incredibly powerful combination," chief executive of Image Nation Abu Dhabi Michael Garin told The National .
The film was co-financed by Participant Media and produced by Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald under a partnership with Image Nation Abu Dhabi, which has become a leading content creator in the Middle East.
The Emirati production company has produced a variety of local feature films and television shows and co-produced a remarkable number of international films including "The Help," distributed by Dreamworks, and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," distributed by Fox. It also produced the critically acclaimed documentary "Every Last Child," which tells the story of five people caught up in the current polio crisis in Pakistan.
However, this documentary will mark the first time the company has had complete creative control over a major international film in addition to providing its financing, according to The National .
“We are honored to be involved in making a film about such an urgent and timely issue. We hope to inspire generations of children worldwide with Malala’s message of courage and hope,” chairman of Image Nation Mohamed Al Mubarak told The National in 2013 when filming began.
The trailer, which was released last week, gives us a real glimpse of how inspirational this film is set out to be. It seem to be definitely worth a watch.