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MUMBAI: CNN International today announced a new slate of programming focused on the empowerment of young girls around the world with the premiere of critically-acclaimed film ?Girl Rising? and launch of ?A Girl?s World,? a distinctive new series chronicling the lives of seven girls in seven countries.
?Girl Rising?, filmed before the well-known girls? education campaigner Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban on her way home from school in Pakistan?s Swat Valley, follows several girls across the globe as they pursue an education. Like Malala, these girls ? who come from Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nepal, Peru and Sierra Leone ? fight to overcome impossible odds to realize their dreams. Directed by Academy Award nominee Richard E. Robbins, the two-hour film features voice performances by Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett (Haiti), Anne Hathaway (Afghanistan) and Meryl Streep (Ethiopia), in addition to Salma Hayek (Peru), Chlo? Moretz (Egypt), Selena Gomez (Sierra Leone) and Kerry Washington (Nepal). ?Girl Rising? airs on CNN International on Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23.
Meryl Streep: "This film gives visual corroboration to knowledge we already have: Educating women and girls has the most optimistic, positive effects on families, communities, and economies worldwide. If to see it is to know it, this film delivers hope; reasonable, measurable, tangible hope that the world can be healed and helped to a better future!"
CNN Digital is offering special coverage of the film at www.CNN.com/girlrising, publishing open letters from influential women on the importance of education to empower girls around the world. CNN iReport, the network?s global participatory community, will invite readers to write their own letters. In addition, CNN.com/girlrising will highlight ways for the audience to take action and help girls? education in their own communities and around the world.
??Girl Rising? tells an incredibly important story that highlights the critical role education plays in the empowerment of young girls,? says Mike McCarthy, senior vice president of programming for CNN International. ?In ?A Girl?s World,? viewers get an intimate look at the unique challenges and opportunities this generation of girls face on a daily basis. Their stories are revealing, surprising and worth sharing with the world.?
?A Girl?s World? introduces seven new girls from Argentina, Germany, Hong Kong, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey and the United States, all with untold ? yet familiar ? stories. ?A Girl?s World? explores education, culture, environment, community, faith and family through the eyes of these 16-year-old girls. Equipped with handheld cameras, these girls tell their stories in their own words, providing viewers with an inside look at their motivations, obstacles and dreams. While their lives might be different, they have much in common. ?A Girl?s World? culminates with a special week of programming on CNNI leading up to the United Nations-declared International Day of the Girl on October 11.
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