Expo 2020 Dubai: Documentary on gender violence to be screened at Jubilee Stage

Dubai: A documentary that will tackle the issue of gender violence from a fresh perspective will be screened at Expo 2020 on Friday to kickstart the UN world activism week activities.

Son Rise' by film director and producer Dr Vibha Bakshi is the story of ordinary men - who have taken on the 'extraordinary' fight to break the shackles of patriarchy. The screening will be held at the Jubilee Stage at 7pm.

The 45-minutes documentary film aims to change the narrative on gender injustice globally. Son Rise, winner of the prestigious National Film Award - Best Film (non-feature) in India, has been selected by UN Women for its global #HeForShe campaign across 71 countries.

The event will also see the launching of a campaign that will bring together diplomats, influencers and change-makers to draw attention to the global theme of gender justice; and will support UN Womens 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, a problem which has been exacerbated globally by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The screening will be followed by a momentous call to action by the Commissioners-General and Heads of Diplomatic Missions based in the UAE, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the world stage, calling for an end to violence against women and promoting a safer, more equitable world.

Films are a powerful means to tell a story, and the story that Vibha tells in 'Son Rise' is one that needs to be told, said Maher Nasser, Commissioner-General of the United Nations at Expo 2020 and the Director of Outreach in the United Nations Department of Global Communications.

The film captures the tragic and wide societal impacts of gender-based sex selection and violence and presents hope through examples of men who played a key role in challenging the unjust reality in their community and became key change agents. 'Son Rise' not only shines a spotlight on an issue that societies prefer to hide, it provides hope through the stories of heroes who stood up for what they saw as right and just and by doing that, they created positive change. And that is a beautiful story to tell, he added.

Bakshi said she felt a strong sense of pride to document these exemplary gender rights heroes from rural India - championing for equality in their village. What my film team and I did not realise is that these men would be setting the precedence for the world to follow through. Our gender rights heroes from India are truly knocking down patriarchy the world over!.