Khadija Al-Salami Yemen

Khadija Al-Salami (1966, Sana’a, Yemen) is a documentary filmmaker and activist for women’s rights in Yemen. Her films have depicted the prejudice and abuse faced by Yemeni women and the injustice of forced childhood marriage. Al-Salami trains local technicians and uses local people as actors.  Although the ongoing conflict and conservative religious pressures in Yemen have closed all but a few movie theatres, the public can buy Al-Salami’s films on the black market. They are widely distributed throughout the Arab world, copied, shown in neighbourhood screenings and can be seen for free on YouTube. Her film about a 13-year old girl sentenced to death contributed to civil efforts to reverse the sentence and ultimately to changes in the legal status and rights of women prisoners. She has further started a foundation that supports 550 girls to attend school.

Find the report from the 2017 Prince Claus Awards Committee here