or


[02/13/12 - 08:30 AM]
Oscar-Nominated HBO Documentary "Saving Face" Debuts March 8
Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy are behind the project, which is up for the Best Documentary Short Oscar.

[via press release from HBO]

OSCAR(R)-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY SAVING FACE, SPOTLIGHTING BRAVE PAKISTANI SURVIVORS OF ACID ATTACKS AND THE DETERMINED DOCTOR WHO RETURNS TO HIS HOMELAND TO HELP THEM, DEBUTS MARCH 8, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

Every year in Pakistan, many people - the majority of them women - are known to be victimized by brutal acid attacks, while numerous other cases go unreported. With little or no access to reconstructive surgery, survivors are physically and emotionally scarred, and many reported assailants, typically a husband or someone else close to the victim, are let go with minimal punishment from the state.

Recently nominated for a Best Documentary Short Oscar(R), SAVING FACE chronicles the arduous attempts of acid-attack survivors Zakia and Rukhsana to bring their assailants to justice, and follows the charitable work of Dr. Mohammad Jawad, a plastic surgeon who strives to help them go beyond this horrific act and move on with their lives.

Directed by Oscar(R) and Emmy(R) nominee Daniel Junge and Emmy(R)-winning Pakistani director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, SAVING FACE debuts THURSDAY, MARCH 8 (8:30-9:15 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: March 8 (5:30 a.m.), 11 (8:45 a.m.), 14 (5:15 p.m.), 17 (1:45 p.m. ET only, 2:15 p.m. PT only, 5:40 a.m.), 20 (6:15 a.m., 11:50 p.m.) and 23 (1:45 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: March 24 (8:15 a.m.) and 28 (8:00 p.m., 2:40 a.m.)

Debuting during International Women's Month, SAVING FACE highlights the increasingly common practice of acid violence in Southeast Asia. Throwing acid onto faces and bodies is a form of domestic violence often used as revenge for refusal of sexual advances or proposals of marriage.

An intimate look inside Pakistani society, the film tells the stories of two courageous women: 39-year-old Zakia, whose husband threw acid on her after she filed for divorce, and Rukhsana, a 25-year-old whose husband and in-laws threw acid and gasoline on her, then set her on fire. With help from The Acid Survivors Foundation in Islamabad, as well as skilled doctors and sympathetic policymakers, they try to move forward with their lives, despite trauma and enduring pain. SAVING FACE also spotlights London-based, Pakistani-born plastic surgeon Dr. Mohammad Jawad, who puts his successful practice on hold and returns to his home country to volunteer his skills and assist Zakia, Rukhsana and other victims of what he calls his society's "disease."

The documentary also follows the push to enact new legislation that imposes stricter sentencing of perpetrators of acid attacks. Zakia's husband is convicted of the assault and given two life sentences, becoming the first person to be sentenced under Pakistan's stronger new law. Dr. Jawad helps reconstruct her deformed face, and with a prosthesis covering half of it, she finally feels comfortable walking through the streets of Pakistan without wearing a burka.

Rukhsana, however, still lives with her husband and his family, who attacked her, because she is unable to support her children on her own. Before Dr. Jawad can operate on her face, Rukhsana learns that she is pregnant, delaying the surgery. In a heartbreaking moment, Rukhsana confides that she hopes her child will be a boy "because a girl's future gets risky after marriage."

Rukhsana does give birth to a boy, who brings happiness and purpose back to her life, and Dr. Jawad plans to operate on her in the future. But for each woman who is able to have facial reconstruction surgery, or finds solace in a loving family or in communities of survivors, there are myriads whose voices are never heard, described by Rukhsana as "the living dead."

Implores Rukhsana, "My fellow countrymen, my lawmakers, my government - your daughters seek justice from you."

Daniel Junge's credits include "Chiefs" (Best Documentary, 2002 Tribeca Film Festival) and the HBO documentaries "They Killed Sister Dorothy" (Emmy(R) nominee) and "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner" (Oscar(R) nominee). Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was the first Pakistani woman to win an Emmy(R), for "Pakistan's Taliban Generation," and was also a recipient of the Alfred I. duPont Award and the Overseas Press Club Award.

SAVING FACE is directed by Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy; produced by Davis Coombe, Daniel Junge, Alison Greenberg, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Sabiha Sumar; edited by Davis Coombe and Hemal Trivedi; original music by Gunnard Doboze; featuring original vocals by Kiran Ahluwalia. For HBO: senior producer, Lisa Heller; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.





  [february 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[11/07/24 - 01:17 PM]
The CW Acquires "Bob Hearts Abishola" Repeats
Look for a marathon of the first four episodes on Friday, November 15.

[11/07/24 - 01:03 PM]
Snoop Dogg Returns to E! with "Snoop's Fatherhood: Cori and Wayne's Story" Premiering Thursday, Dec. 5
The three-part docuseries features Cori Broadus and her fiancé, Wayne Duece, as they journey through the ebbs and flows of love, life and new beginnings with friends and family.

[11/07/24 - 10:30 AM]
CBS Orders Full Seasons of "Poppa's House" and "NCIS: Origins"
According to VideoAmp and internal streaming data, with seven days of multiplatform viewing, "NCIS: Origins'" premiere has been seen by 9.0 million viewers and "Poppa's House" by 6.41 million viewers.

[11/07/24 - 09:15 AM]
Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions Confirm Fight Week & Fight Night Broadcast Team and Livestream Details for Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Mega-Event
British sports broadcaster Kate Scott (née Abdo) will serve as the main host with former world champion Andre Ward as lead booth analyst.

[11/07/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Alien: Romulus" - Coming Soon - Hulu
Starring Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, and Isabela Merced, "Alien: Romulus" is streaming November 21, only on Hulu.

[11/07/24 - 09:00 AM]
HBO Original Comedy Special "Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This?" Debuts in January
The comedian, writer, and host of "Real Time with Bill Maher" will tape his special in front of a live audience at the CIBC Theater in Chicago, Illinois.

[11/07/24 - 08:01 AM]
First Season of NWSL on ION: 50 Matches, 53 Studio Shows, 130+ Hours of Content, 20.5 Million Unique Viewers
Matches drew an average audience of 145,000 P2+ per game with a high of 234,000 on July 6 for the Orlando-Kansas City match.

[11/07/24 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Reveals First Look at Third Season of "Sago Mini Friends"
The five-episode season is a delightful nod to gratitude, featuring Harvey the floppy-eared dog and his best friends, Jinja the cat, Jack the rabbit and Robin the bird.

[11/07/24 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Prime Video Announces Premiere Date and Teaser Trailer for UK Original Movie "My Fault: London" Starring Asha Banks and Matthew Broome
The new film will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on February 13, 2025.

[11/07/24 - 06:00 AM]
Video: Paramount+ Reveals Official Trailer for the New Christmas Comedy Film "Dear Santa"
The film is the story of a young boy (Robert Timothy Smith) who mails his Christmas wish list to Santa with one crucial spelling error, resulting in a devilish Jack Black's arrival to wreak havoc on the holidays.

[11/07/24 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "Camp Crasher" - Official Trailer - Netflix
In a bid to save her son's end-of-school camping trip, a single mom steps in as the bus driver while trying to show him she really can be a cool mom.

[11/07/24 - 03:01 AM]
Video: "Love Never Lies: South Africa" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Six couples face trust issues, temptations, and a ruthless lie detector in South Africa's first dating show of its kind - testing their love and honesty.

[11/07/24 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "Mononoke The Movie: The Phantom in the Rain" - Special Trailer - Netflix
In the chambers of the Edo harem, two newcomers uncover political intrigue, rivalry and a vengeful spirit only one traveling medicine seller can vanquish.

[11/06/24 - 11:34 AM]
For the First Time in 16 Years, ABC News Is #1 Broadcast Network Across All Key Demos in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, Adults 18-49 on Election Night
ABC News' "Election Night 2024: Your Voice/Your Voice" ranked No. 1 among the broadcast networks in all key target demos - Total Viewers (5.665 million) and Adults 25-54 (2.156 million) and Adults 18-49 (1.819 million).

[11/06/24 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "The Only Girl in the Orchestra" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This short documentary celebrates trailblazing double bassist Orin O'Brien, the first woman to become a full-time member of the New York Philharmonic.