On October 11, 2016, MALA partnered with Illinois Humanities and the Jane Addams Hull House Museum to screen The People’s Girls, a documentary investigating the issue of sexual harassment.

In honor of International Day of the Girl, over 70 individuals attended the screening as part of the ‘Film and Talk Back Series, She Power Rising: From Adversity to Equity and Beyond.’ Co-Director Colette Ghunim was present to moderate a very engaging post-screening discussion on how both women and men can fight back against harassment.

Directors Colette Ghunim and Tinne Van Loon spent a year filming. Funded through Kickstarter, they set out to make this film in response to a recent UN Women study that found a staggering 99% of Egyptian women have been sexually harassed. For women in the US, that figure still stands at a significant 65% according to Stop Street Harassment, with higher rates in urban areas.

The People’s Girls has recently received awards from the Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, International Open Film Festival, and the Ambassador Award at the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival. It has also been featured in various media outlets, such as Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, France 24, and El Mundo.