After wowing audiences and critics alike at Sundance in January, “On Her Shoulders” has secured distribution. A press release announced that Oscilloscope Laboratories snagged the rights to Alexandria Bombach’s documentary about Nadia Murad, a survivor of the 2014 genocide of the Yazidis in Northern Iraq who went on to escape sexual slavery at the hands of ISIS. Bombach took home the Directing Award for U.S. Documentary at Sundance, where the film made its world premiere. A theatrical release for “On Her Shoulders” is planned for later this year.
Described as “a once ordinary girl [who] was suddenly thrust into the alien world of international advocacy,” Murad gave “testimony before the U.N. Security Council that made her the face of the Yazidis — a historically persecuted and voiceless religious minority.” She repeatedly told her “harrowing story in the hope of saving her people from extinction and bringing ISIS members to justice,” the film’s synopsis details.
“‘On Her Shoulders’ is a film about Nadia Murad and the plight of the Yazidi people, but it’s also about us — how we tell stories of trauma, and how we choose to listen,” said Bombach. “It’s an honor to have Oscilloscope bring this film to audiences, not only because of their reputation for supporting powerful films, but because of the team’s intimate understanding of the nuance of this film and its importance.”
In advance of the film’s premiere at Sundance, Bombach told us, “There is a numbness in the world right now — an apathy that has met the refugee crisis head-on. Following Nadia through her experience of pleading with the world to care about this vulnerable minority exposes this indifference in a way that is distinct and raw. I’m hoping to add more gray to what is often assumed to be black and white,” she explained.
Bombach made her feature debut with 2015’s “Frame by Frame,” co-directed by Mo Scarpelli. The award-winning doc follows four Afghan photojournalists.