Renowned Pakistani filmmaker on fighting gender inequality

Transcript

Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Geoff Bennett: For decades, prominent photographer Platon has been taking portraits of some of the world’s most prominent people, from heads of state to movie stars and everyone in between.

Tonight, we share his dialogue with Pakistani filmmaker and political activist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, who focuses on gender inequality.

It’s part of our arts and culture series, Canvas.

Platon, Photographer: You’re helping me understand that I’m very lucky to have you here because of what you know and what you have been through. And I need to know what you know.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Filmmaker and Political Activist: We are holding ourselves back. So I will talk to the women. We all need to make this massive push forward. We all need to be fighting, because, if we all start fighting, if we all speak the same language, how are you going to hold half the world back?

Platon: What do you say to a young girl who thinks that the people around her don’t value her as a human being as much as a boy of the same age?

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy: I say to her that life is going to be very tough, that you will have to fight for a place on the dinner table to even get a piece of bread. You’re going to have to fight to get an education. You’re going to have to fight to be allowed to go out of your house to find a job.

You’re going to have to fight once you’re at your workplace to get fair wages. You’re going to then have to fight to get promoted. Then you’re going to have to fight with your husband when he wants more of your time and he wants you to quit a job. Then you’re going to have to fight for your children.

But, eventually, once you get there, you have to fight for other women.

Platon: Now we’re getting somewhere.

If they were to ask you advice, what would you say to them who want to be useful?

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy: The volume of leadership is what I want men to help women with. That is what we need the doors opened for.

We are qualified. We have everything that it takes. Kick open that door for us and watch us march forward. We don’t need anyone to hold our hands.

Platon: Eyes open. Eyes here.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy: My message to any young woman who’s trying to achieve her dreams, or who’s trying to fight through a patriarchal system, or who’s just trying to exist today, be free. Choose freedom.

My name is Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. I am a storyteller. I hold up a mirror to society, so that people can see their reflection.

Platon: It’s a great privilege to be here. I love my job on days like this.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy: Thank you.