On Her Shoulders

Twenty-three-year-old Nadia Murad’s life is a dizzying array of exhausting undertakings—from giving testimony before the U.N. to visiting refugee camps to soul-bearing media interviews and one-on-one meetings with top government officials. With deep compassion and a formal precision and elegance that matches Nadia’s calm and steely demeanor, filmmaker Alexandria Bombach follows this strong-willed young woman, who survived the 2014 genocide of the Yazidis in Northern Iraq and escaped the hands of ISIS to become a relentless beacon of hope for her people, even when at times she longs to lay aside this monumental burden and simply have an ordinary life. Nadia was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for her work.

“On Her Shoulders” won the Directing Award, U.S. Documentary at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

Come early for a pre-film showcase of various nonprofit organizations that aim to help victims of domestic violence and other forms of abuse. Post-film panel with Nubia Pena, JD of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA), Kristan Warnick, Trauma Informed Care Network, Allison Smith, Asian Association of Utah’s Trafficking and Human Person’s Program and Pamela Silberman of the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Renai Bodley, General Manager of KPCW will moderate.

Presented with Peace House as part of the Reel Community Series.