ISLAMABAD: People thronged the office of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) on Friday to watch documentaries and participate in discussions on gender issues.

The event was held to celebrate three years of successful completion of the programme ‘MovieLog-Think-Challenge-Question’.

One of the documentaries that was shown was titled ‘Matkay Pay Thappa’ made by Tazeen Bari.

The documentary revolved around the election story of Veeru Kohli, a woman from humble background, who contested the general election in 2013 from Hyderabad.

In the documentary, Veeru said that she had an interest in politics which was why she took part in the election.

She bagged 6,000 votes and was declared second runner up. She said it was a great experience and was totally confidence that next time around, she would win the polls.

The documentary’s producer, Tazeen Bari, said she met Veeru in events organised by an NGO. In 2013 she came to know that she was contesting the general elections.

“I decided to go to Hyderabad and spend 10 days with her to make the documentary. People like Veeru should participate in the elections because only they can make a difference. Veeru also faced threats during her election campaign,” Ms Bari added.

The other documentary ‘Kiran’s Story’ made by Madeeha Raza focused on the story of a 14-year-old girl from Kohistan.

Kiran said her family left the area so that she could pursue her education as it was not possible for girls to get education there.

She said her mother worked in houses as a maid and supported her in getting education.

Kiran said she believed all problems could be resolved through education and a law should be enacted which barred girls from being married off before the age of 18. She said she wanted to become a lawyer to create awareness among people.

Talking about her documentary, Madeeha Raza said she was looking for a girl with a powerful story that could have an impact.

“Majority of the girls don’t want to come on camera but I got a chance to make the documentary and I did it. I want to focus on girls education,” she added.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2015

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