Farha Khatun’s Holy Rights wins National Award for Best Film on Social Issues

Farha Khatun’s documentary Holy Rights has been awarded the National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues.

Organized by the Directorate of Film Festivals, Union ministry of information and broadcasting, the 67th National Film Awards, which were announced yesterday in New Delhi, honoured films from the year 2019.

Holy Rights deals with the topic of Triple Talaq and follows the journey of a deeply religious Muslim woman from Bhopal, Safia Akhtar, who joins a programme to train women qazis — Muslim clerics who interpret and administer the personal law — which is a traditionally male preserve. The film documents her journey as she tries to change the status quo and women reclaim spaces that have traditionally been denied to them.

Elated at receiving the award, the filmmaker said, “I am extremely happy to get this award! This award gives us a lot of encouragement to work more towards issues related to human rights!”

The film was premiered at the 54th HOF International Film Festival, Germany, and has been screened across the world at several film festivals, including the Dharamshala International Film Festival 2020, Kolkata International Film Festival 2020 and the International Film Festival of India, Goa 2020. 

This is the second National Award for Khatun whose debut short film, I Am Bonnie received a National Award in the same category in 2018.

Holy Rights won the award along with the film Ladli (2019).