Honor killings film moves PM – All Def v Oscars

This news has been read 8894 times!

Meanwhile,  Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed Monday to act against the “despicable” practice known as honor killing after viewing an Oscar-nominated documentary about the issue.

“A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness,” by Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, was screened at the premier’s office. The 2015 film is about a girl who was shot and thrown in a river by her father after marrying a boy of her choice. The girl survived, but was pressured to forgive her attackers.

The killing of women — often by their own family members — over alleged sexual indiscretions is common in conservative parts of the Muslim world, where men and women are segregated outside the home and arranged marriage is the norm.

A government statement released after the screening said Sharif vowed to address the issue of honor killings, which he said had nothing to do with religion, and “build a progressive Pakistan by giving equal and respectable status to women.”

After meeting with the premier, Obaid-Chinoy called for stronger legislation against honor killings and acid attacks.

Some 1,000 women are killed each year in honor killings, according to estimates used by many women’s rights groups in Pakistan. The killers are rarely prosecuted, because Pakistani law allows relatives of the victim to forgive the killer, a provision based in Islamic law.

Zohra Yosuf, of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said Sharif’s promises were so far “just words” and that action was needed.

“The killers within the family should not be given the advantage of paying blood-money after the gruesome offence,” she said.

Also:

LOS ANGELES: It’s not likely to put a dent in the ratings for the Oscars, but the symbolism can’t be ignored. Russell Simmons’ All Def Movie Awards has struck a deal for a highlights special to air Sunday on the Fusion cabler opposite ABC’s telecast of the 88th annual Academy Awards.

The event produced by Simmons’ All Def Digital venture was born in response to the uproar over this year’s all-white roster of Oscar acting nominees, the second consecutive year that minority actors were left on the sidelines of filmdom’s most coveted kudos. Tony Rock, brother of Oscars host Chris Rock, will emcee the All Def ceremony. Fusion, moreover, is jointly owned by ABC parent Disney and Univision, although Univision is in the process of buying out Disney’s stake in the cable channel that launched in October 2013.

The All Def ceremony will tape Wednesday night at Hollywood nightclub Lure. An hourlong highlights special will bow at 7 p.m. Sunday and repeat throughout the night. Talent committed to appearing on the telecast includes Tyrese Gibson, Nick Cannon, Terry Crews, Marlon Wayans, Vivica A. Fox, King Bach, Sannaa Lathan, Regina Hall, Robert Townsend, Bill Duke, Gary Owen and Jerrod Carmichael.

“The All Def Movie Awards are meant to fill a generational and cultural void — just as the MTV Movie Awards did,” said Sanjay Sharma, president-CEO of ADD. “Fusion is the perfect partner to celebrate the un-celebrated, and use comedy to encourage honest dialogue and action.”

The All Def kudos feature a mix of traditional categories for best picture, actor, actress and such along with such distinctive competitions as “Best Helpful White Person” and “Best Black Survivor in a Movie.” The public is invited to vote online on best picture nominees “Beasts of No Nation,” “Chi-raq,” “Concussion,” “Creed,” “Dope” and “Straight Outta Compton.”

ADD is considering the possibility of an All Def TV kudos to recognize small-screen fare.

Fusion, which is available in about 40 million homes, and ADD previously partnered last year on a multimedia project that examined the nation’s juvenile justice system.

This news has been read 8894 times!