WOMAN, the documentary feature film written, directed, and produced by Ziad Hamzeh,a Syrian-American filmmaker, has won The Golden Palm Award at the 2008 Beverly Hills Film Festival. The Golden Palm is the highest honor given to the Best Film in All Categories.
WOMAN: Against the oppressive environment of religious fanaticism, political turmoil, archaic traditions, and the rise of fundamentalist Islamic movements, one extraordinary Arabian woman rises up in a personal, revealing, and dangerous quest to champion justice and equality for all women.
WOMAN is a feature-length documentary based on the writings, lectures, and life of Nobel Prize nominee and Syrian Expatriate Affairs Minister, activist Bouthaina Shaaban as she fearlessly ignites awareness while advancing the cause of rights for Arab women - from securing formal acknowledgments throughout the Arab world that women should be afforded basic human rights, to waging an international battle defending the integrity of the real Arab female, all accomplished with the firm hand of diplomacy and the power of her pen.
The film journeys back to Bouthaina's beginning as a schoolgirl in a small obscure Syrian village to her evolution as a top international politician representing her country, while continuing her fight for female equality. WOMAN reveals Dr. Shaaban as an outspoken human rights activist and female leader living in a male dominated culture. Maintaining equilibrium between embracing the traditional values of Middle Eastern society and fighting for her deeply held belief that all people are created equal, she speaks out about the misconceptions of the female role in Islam.
Ultimately, we come to know her as an inspiring leader who is dedicated to uniting the spirit of humanity into one family on earth. It is Bouthaina's humility and tolerance that elevates people's hopes, fed by the fire of her passion and her quest for a better tomorrow - for everyone. Her enlightened path empowers the souls of those without a voice, invoking the strengths of the courageous, and shedding light onto those whose hearts remain in darkness. Bouthaina Shaaban is WOMAN.
The Beverly Hills Film Festival is an international competition dedicated to showcasing the art and talent of filmmakers in the city globally recognized as the home to the motion picture industry. The handpicked global Jury presents its awards to honor the finest in cinematic achievement in filmmaking displayed during the competition at the black-tie Gala Closing Ceremonies held at The Beverly Hills Hotel. Sponsors of the event include Mercedes-Benz, GQ, Lions Gate Films, The Screen Actors Guild, The International Luxury Society, Final Draft, The American Cinema Editors, The California Film Commission, and Filmmaker Magazine, among others.
WOMAN featuring Bouthaina Shabaan. A Hamzeh Mystique Films and National Film Organization Production. Written and Directed by Ziad Hamzeh. Produced by Ziad Hamzeh, Bert Brown, Marc Sandler, Nina Cullen-Hamzeh. Director of Photography Hisham Al-Maleh.
