is a filmmaker and journalist from Afghanistan. Ayazi was born and raised in Balkh, in the northern region of Afghanistan, known for hospitality, the Nowruz celebration, Rumi (poet), the Shrine of Hazrat Ali, and Buzkashi.
She recently worked on the Academy Award-winning short documentary “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)”. Ayazi’s first feature film, “In Her Hands,” co-directed by Marcel Mettelsiefen, was screened at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (World Premiere) in September. “In Her Hands” won the 2022 Camden International Film Festival’s Audience Award and will be on Netflix on the 16th of November 2022. She is assisting Amnesty International in its research focused on children and women in Afghanistan. She is a NatGeo explorer who uses storytelling as a tool to advocate for equality and positive change. She studied business administration with a minor in law at the American University of Afghanistan. She is committed to working on topics like education, gender-based violence, forced immigration, resistance, identity, mental health, as well as climate change. Ayazi will be an EUME Fellow at the Forum Transregionale Studien in 2023 and 2024.
Memories of Life in Afghanistan
During the last decade, I have been researching and documenting cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in Afghanistan, perpetrated during or after the takeover of the Taliban. In my new project, I am trying to search for a personal form to write about my thoughts and experiences during my fellowship without the pressures of immediate production. In my professional work, I have been unable to fully express and articulate my thoughts as I would have liked. This is something I want to do during the fellowship.
