''Sonita'' is a 2015 documentary film about
Sonita Alizadeh, a 15-year-old Afghan rapper and refugee living in Tehran. The film was directed by
Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami and premiered at the
2016 Sundance Film Festival
The 2016 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 21 to January 31, 2016. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 2, 2015. The opening night film was ''Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You'', directed by Heidi E ...
, where it won the festival's World Documentary Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award.
''Sonita'' follows Alizadeh, who fled the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
in
Herat
Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safē ...
, Afghanistan as a child and is an undocumented refugee, over a three-year period. During the making of the documentary, Alizadeh's relatives attempt to sell her into marriage. Ghaemmaghami intervened by paying them $2,000 to delay the marriage, and later helping Alizadeh to secure a scholarship in the United States. Ghaemmaghami 's interference in her documentary subject's life was controversial.
Production
Ghaemmaghami met Sonita Alizadeh through a cousin, who introduced the two to each other in the hope that Ghaemmaghami would be able to help Alizadeh meet other musicians.
Critical reception
Writing in ''
Time Out'', Tom Huddleston described ''Sonita'' as a "warm, uplifting but often challenging film – a compelling human drama packed with searching questions about artistic responsibility and the nature of charity."
In ''The Guardian'', Nigel M Smith gave the film a rating of five stars, commenting, "to witness Sonita’s rise from timid rapper to empowered activist over a three-year span is thrilling."
References
External links
* {{IMDB title, 5278928
2015 documentary films
Sundance Film Festival award winners