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SYNOPSIS
At the height of the international occupation of Afghanistan, two women – Gulnaz, raped and impregnated by her uncle, and Farida, on the run from an abusive husband – are imprisoned on charges of “moral crimes” by an Afghan justice system that is supported by billions of dollars of aid money from the European Union.
Shot over ten years, With This Breath I Fly follows these two courageous women as they fight for their freedom against a patriarchal Afghan society determined to keep them bound to tribal culture, while exposing the complicity of the European Union in censoring their voices, and how the international press – and our documentary – forever alters the course of their lives.
With This Breath I Fly is an independent film and relies on your support. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today so we can continuing telling these stories.
PRESS
“Through powerful interviews, intimate moments and beautiful visuals...a high-stakes and emotionally heavy journey that is often impossible to predict where it will go next.”
“With This Breath I Fly is a remarkable documentary. I strongly encourage anyone with a beating heart and inquisitive eyes to watch it as soon as possible.”
“The access to these courageous women and their advocates takes us into rare, usually inaccessible territory.”
Meet the Team
Director
Clementine Malpas
Clem is a documentary filmmaker with over nine years experience in the developing world. A self-shooting director, she was previously based in Kenya and Afghanistan, and has made films for Channel Four, NBC, PBS, Current TV, the United Nations and the Aga Khan Foundation.
Director / Producer
Sam French
A founding director of the documentary production company Straylight Studios, Sam’s work has appeared on HBO, BBC, CNN, Channel 4, ESPN, and DirecTV. In addition to multiple award-winning documentaries, Sam wrote and directed the Academy Award nominated short film “Buzkashi Boys.”
Producer
Leslie Knott
Leslie is an award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of Tiger Nest Films. Her first film, Out of the Ashes, the story of the Afghan Cricket team’s rise to success (BBC Storyville), won a 2011 Grierson Award. Her films have been broadcast on Netflix, BBC, ARTE, PBS, ITV, ABC, NBC, Channel 4 and CBC.
Associate Producer
Farzana Wahidy
Farzana Wahidy is an award-winning Afghan documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her photographs of women and girls in Afghanistan. She was the first female photographer in Afghanistan to work with international media agencies such as the Associated Press (AP) and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Executive Producer
Jeff Zimbalist
Jeff Zimbalist is a multi-Emmy and Peabody winning producer, writer and director, best known for FAVELA RISING (Tribeca Film Festival Winner, IDA Winner, Emmy Nominee, HBO & Thinkfilm 2005), THE TWO ESCOBARS (Cannes Film Festival, Peabody Winner, Emmy Nominee, WGA Nominee, ESPN 2010), MOMENTUM GENERATION (Emmy Winner, Tribeca Film Festival Winner, Los Angeles Film Awards Winner, HBO & Universal 2018), the Netflix series REMASTERED (Emmy winner, 6 Emmy nominations, Netflix 2019), and recently the Netflix series HEIST (Netflix 2021) and the Apple+ series THE LINE (Apple, 2021).
Executive Producer / Composer
Pinar Toprak
Pinar Toprak is an Emmy-nominated composer, conductor and performer, with an unmatched gift for creating iconic thematic scores for everything from superhero sagas and blockbuster comedies to TV series and dramas. With her work on Captain Marvel and Fortnite, Pinar is the first female composer to score both a film and video game with gross revenues of over $1 billion and $5 billion respectively. Pinar’s diverse body of work also includes the scores for The Lost City, Stargirl on the CW, Syfy’s Krypton, HBO’s McMillions and the upcoming films Shotgun Wedding and Slumberland, among many others.
