“I want people to learn from the experience I had,” says Malala Yousafzai in the trailer for “He Named Me Malala,” the upcoming documentary about one of the coolest teen rebels in history.
And what an experience it was. As a 15-year-old, the Pakistani teenager was shot in the head by the Taliban for her campaigns promoting gender equality and girls’ education. Still, she insists that she isn’t telling her story because “it is unique,” but rather because “it is the story of many girls.”
Yousafzai’s commitment to defending the rights of girls led to her becoming the youngest-ever Noble Peace Prize laureate last year.
“He Named Me Malala” follows the 17-year-old Yousafzai as she continues to speak out for children’s welfare all over the world. “There’s a moment when you have to choose whether to be silent or to stand up,” Yousafzai declares in the spot for the doc, directed by Oscar winner David Guggenheim.
While the emphasis of the trailer — and presumably the doc — is Yousafzai’s empowering message of equality and solidarity, it also seems to offer a portrait of the Malala, who, in her own words, is “still a teenager” — the one who plays card games with her family and chats with her dad about Twitter. The trailer also reveals the beautiful story about why Malala was given that name.
You can learn more about Yousafzai’s inspiring life’s mission when “He Named Me Malala” opens October 2 after making its international premiere at TIFF September 12.
