CNN International has announced new programming focused on the empowerment of young girls around the world with the premiere of the critically-acclaimed film Girl Rising and the launch of A Girl’s World, a distinctive new series chronicling the lives of seven girls in seven countries.
Girl Rising was filmed before well-known girls’ education campaigner Malala Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban on her way home from school in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. The movie follows several girls across the globe as they pursue an education.
Like Malala, these girls who are from Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Nepal, Peru and Sierra Leone fight to overcome impossible odds to realise their dreams.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Richard E. Robbins, the two-hour film features voice performances by Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett (Haiti), Anne Hathaway (Afghanistan) and Meryl Streep (Ethiopia), in addition to Salma Hayek (Peru), Chloe Moretz (Egypt), Selena Gomez (Sierra Leone) and Kerry Washington (Nepal).
The movie premieres on CNN International on Saturday 22 June at 21h00 CAT and Sunday 23 June at 03h00 CAT and 15h00 CAT.
“Girl Rising tells an incredibly important story that highlights the critical role education plays in the empowerment of young girls,’ says Mike McCarthy, senior vice president of programming for CNN International.
In A Girl’s World, viewers get an intimate look at the unique challenges and opportunities this generation of girls face on a daily basis. Their stories are revealing, surprising and worth sharing with the world.’
From Monday 24 June A Girl’s World introduces seven new girls from Argentina, Germany, Hong Kong, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey and the United States, all with untold, yet familiar, stories.
Airing over the following months on Connect the World at 22h00 CAT, International Desk at 07h00 CAT, CNN NewsCenter with Monita Rajpal at 12h30 CAT and CNN Newsroom Live from Hong Kong, A Girl’s World explores education, culture, environment, community, faith and family through the eyes of these 16-year-old girls.
Equipped with handheld cameras, they tell their stories in their own words, providing viewers with an inside look at their motivations, obstacles and dreams.
A Girl’s World culminates with a special week of programming on CNN leading up to the United Nations-declared International Day of the Girl on 11 October 2013.
