In a striking and deeply personal feature-length debut, Najiba Noori turns the camera on her family. Over five years, she documents the intertwined journeys of Hawa and Zahra, her mother and her niece, both of whom are determined to break free from the confines of the patriarchal society that has restricted their ambitions and freedoms. At 52, after four decades in an arranged marriage, Hawa finds herself yearning for reinvention and seeks to start her own textile business specializing in Hazara embroidery and wants to learn to read and write to cultivate her independence. Meanwhile, Zahra aspires to pursue higher education with Hawa’s support. The women’s hopes and dreams are shattered, however, with the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Noori faces a life-altering decision in a split second: whether to flee her home for fear of persecution due to her journalistic background or stay with her family. Writing Hawa is an intimate, observational and urgent piece that captures the enduring resilience of three generations of Hazara women, highlighting the fragility of women’s rights and the ongoing fight for liberation. Lauren Clarke.
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