I Am a Girl

Rebecca Barry : 2013

An inspirational feature-length documentary that paints a clear picture of the reality of what it means to be a girl in the 21st century. Feminism may have promised equality and sought a better and fairer world for women but the reality is that girls make up almost a quarter of the world's population yet still face the greatest discrimination of any group in the world. Being born a girl means you are more likely to be subjected to violence, disease, poverty and disadvantage than any other group on Earth. We meet 14-year-old Kimsey from Cambodia, forced to sell her virginity at the age of 12; Aziza from Afghanistan, who will be shot if she goes to school; Breani, a teen living in a ghetto of New York City and dreaming of stardom; Katie from Australia, who is recovering from a suicide attempt; Habiba from Cameroon, betrothed to a man twenty years her senior; and Manu from Papua New Guinea, about to become a mother at 14, following her first sexual encounter. Presented not as victims of society, but members of an unfair one, each is on the brink of womanhood and dealing with the realities of what it means to grow up female in their world today. As they come of age in the way their culture dictates, we see remarkable heart-warming stories of resilience, hope, courage and a refusal to be second best. Rebecca Barry's film was presented at Oslo's Films from the South Festival 2014, in celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child.