Malala Yousafzai, Jennifer Lawrence hope their new documentary ‘Bread and Roses’ puts Afghan women’s rights at the top of the global agenda
Good morning! Trump adds more women to his cabinet, Kamala Harris is planning her next steps, and a new documentary aims to put Afghan women’s rights at the top of the global agenda.
– Still fighting. The new documentary Bread and Roses, which premiered on Apple TV on Friday, has a powerhouse producing team behind it: activist Malala Yousafzai, actor Jennifer Lawrence, and director Sahra Mani.
The film follows women in Afghanistan after the takeover of the Taliban in 2021. The women fight for their freedom, with their efforts captured in guerilla-style footage, often shot on phone cameras. “This documentary is a form of solidarity for Afghan women and girls, and it’s also a form of resistance against the Taliban, which is trying to make Afghan women invisible and erase them,” Yousafzai told me in a Zoom interview.
Since Mani started making the film in 2021, the situation for Afghan women hasn’t gotten better. In fact, it’s gotten worse. “If I wanted to make this film at this moment, it wouldn’t be possible,” Mani says. At the start of this stretch of the Taliban’s rule, women couldn’t work or attend school; now, they can’t leave the house without a chaperone, Mani says.
For Yousafzai, the moment that stands out in the film is when dentist Zahra Mohammadi converts her office into a place for women to organize. “All she wanted to do was be a dentist, but she could no longer do that. That’s a moment that I can personally connect to,” says Yousafzai, who became a public figure after she was shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating for girls’ education at age 15.
Leon Bennett/Getty Images
Lawrence recalls a moment in Bread and Roses when Sharifa Movahidzedeh, who finds it oppressive to go from a career as a government employee to life as a housewife, escapes to a roof to listen to a song she loves, “just to find some peace.”
The actor joined as a producer on the film, adding to a growing portfolio of work in support of women’s rights. Lawrence also served as a producer on Zurawski v Texas, the documentary about Texas’s abortion ban and the women who fought it in a landmark lawsuit. Her passion for both projects, she says, came from being an American, for Zurawski v. Texas, and “a human” for Bread and Roses.
Yousafzai hopes that the film puts Afghan women’s rights back at the top of the global agenda, part of the conversation about women’s rights worldwide. She urges nations not to normalize relations with the Taliban, which she says codifies gender apartheid. “We need more unity and sisterhood to protect women’s rights in Afghanistan, but also globally,” she says. “It’s about protection for women everywhere.”
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
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ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
– Cabinet choices. Donald Trump made several more cabinet picks, including Dr. Janette Nesheiwat for surgeon general, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) for labor secretary, and Brooke Rollins for agriculture secretary. Also, his aide Natalie Harp is expected to follow Trump to office, acting as his source of information and “human printer.”
– Texas abortion bans. A third woman has died under abortion bans in Texas; 35-year-old Porsha Ngumezi’s death was preventable, according to a dozen doctors. She is the fifth woman to die after not receiving a necessary dilation and curettage, or D&C. ProPublica
– What’s next? According to Vice President Kamala Harris’ inner circle, Harris is “staying in the fight” and keeping options for her next political position open; potential next moves could include running for president in 2028 or running to be the governor of California. Now, she is working with her team to decide how she will speak out against Donald Trump. Politico
– Billionaire breakdown. Thirteen percent of the world’s 3,323 billionaires are women, according to new data. Three-quarters of these 431 women inherited part of their fortunes, while the remaining billionaires are self-made. In comparison, 5% of male billionaires inherited their wealth and 66% are self-made. CNBC
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Communify Fincentric, a market and client data unification company, named Jennie Wang chief client solutions officer. Most recently, she was chief experience officer at InvestCloud.
Inspira Health, a healthcare nonprofit, named Julie Ellis senior vice president and chief human resources officer, succeeding Anneliese McMenamin. Ellis was previously the company’s VP of human resources.
Kroger, a grocery store chain, named Mary Ellen Adcock chief merchandising and marketing officer. Most recently, she was the company’s SVP of operations.
Neighborly, a home services company, appointed Stacy Lynn Bourgeois as CMO. She most recently served as global head of product, quality, and operations for renewed at Amazon.
Nasdaq Private Market, a secondary liquidity solutions provider, appointed Parul Dubey as managing director and head of the private client group. Previously, she was general manager of the capital markets division.
Fanatics, a sports gear company and digital sports platform, named Jeremi Gorman senior advisor. Previously, she was president of worldwide advertising at Netflix.
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation, consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton’s parent company, appointed Debra Dial to its board of directors. She was previously SVP, chief accounting officer, and controller at AT&T.
ON MY RADAR
How Michele Kang became one of the biggest investors in women’s soccer New York Times
Ex-Goldman banker turned Lithium CEO vows to ride out downturn Bloomberg
Molly Baz is doing motherhood her way Elle
PARTING WORDS
“By embracing grit, gumption, grace, and gratitude, we not only accelerate our own careers, we help lift those around us.”
— Leanne Caret, former CEO of Boeing Defense, Space, and Security, on succeeding as a woman in business
