Timed to Malala Yousafzai's appearance at the Skoll World Forum, Variety reports Participant Media will partner on her upcoming documentary

Timed to Malala Yousafzai's appearance at the Skoll World Forum, Variety reports Participant Media will partner on her upcoming documentary

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He Named Me Malala promo

Participant Media Boards Malala Yousafzai Docu As Co-Financer With Image Nation

By Nick Vivarelli

Variety - April 9, 2014

Participant Media is joining Image Nation Abu Dhabi as co-financer of the upcoming documentary about Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani student activist who survived a Taliban assassination attempt. Docu is being helmed by “Waiting for Superman” director Davis Guggenheim.

The Malala docu is produced by Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald with whom Image Nation has a longstanding partnership.

In addition to its financial commitment, Participant Media will collaborate with Image Nation to launch a social action and advocacy campaign to expand the reach and impact of the high-profile docu’s theatrical release.

In 2012 Malala Yousafzai was wounded when gunmen opened fire on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. The then 14-year-old teenager, who had been targeted for speaking out on behalf of girls’ education in her community, was shot in the head and neck, sparking international media outrage.

Yousafzai was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest such nominee in history. The United Nations and Gordon Brown, the organization’s special envoy for education, declared July 12, 2013 as “Malala Day” in support of her global education campaign. Malala Yousafzai’s charity, The Malala Fund (www.malalafund.org), invests in projects that support education and empowerment for girls around the world. The film will include her July 12 speech to the UN General Assembly, Malala’s first major public address since being shot.

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