HRWIFF: Mrs Goundo's Daughter (UK Premiere)

Mali 2009, 60 mins
Director: Barbara Attie, Janet Goldwater

Synopsis

Preceded by: Sanctuary.

Filmmakers in attendance.

Bridging two worlds, MRS GOUNDO'S DAUGHTER tells the moving story of one Malian mother's fight for asylum in the US to protect her two-year-old daughter from female genital cutting. Expertly interweaving scenes from Mali of girls preparing for an excision ceremony and scenes from Philadelphia where those who have survived the ceremony share their stories, the film demonstrates precisely why and how Mrs Goundo fights for her daughter and her future.

Human Rights Watch's Women's Rights division has done research and advocacy on various issues related to female genital cutting through its work on sexual autonomy and reproductive choices as well as its work on women's status in the family and their formal legal status.

Presented in association with Birds Eye View Film Festival and Forward.