He Named Me Malala

Exactly three years ago this month, the world came to know fifteen-year-old Malala Yousafzai.  Her name was murmured over and over and over again – in prayer – in outcry – in hope for a full recovery from the gunshot wounds inflicted by the Taliban in an assassination attempt. All because she spoke for the right of education for all girls in her native Swat Valley of Pakistan.

Malala you are pure inspiration & hope for a better world. I’m joining the thoughts& prayers that are present at your bedside.#GetWellMalala

— Monica Marino (@MarinoBambinos) October 24, 2012

Not only did Malala recover, but she also carried on with her courageous fight for girls education worldwide.  She became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.  And her 18th birthday was marked by opening a school for Syrian refugee girls in Lebanon while calling on world leaders to invest in “books not bullets.”  Malala is passion and purpose personified.  She is truly a symbol of hope for social change and a pillar for girls’ and women’s rights worldwide.

Her story is one that needs to be known and is compellingly captured by Oscar-winning documentary director Davis Guggenheim in the film He Named Me Malala.  The incredible film, newly in theaters, shares an intimate glimpse of Malala’s life – both public and private – with her family, as a student, as a teenager, and as a powerful activist.

At this time, my young children don’t know Malala’s full story – but they do know her name and her devotion to education.  Someday they will read her book and see this film.  And perhaps one of the things that I love most about “He Named Me Malala” is the brilliant captures of ordinary life  – because this particular type of storytelling allows viewers to see the potential within themselves.

Watch the official trailor above and join in the conversation #WithMalala and #HeNamedMeMalala on Twitter and Instagram (@MalalaFund).  Stay in touch with Malala’s work via The Malala Fund.

I was not compensated for this post in any way.  It is an honor to be an ambassador to the film.   All images via Fox Searchlight.