SAAYA: OUR REAL DEMONS

Synopsis
Saaya: Our Real Demons is the first documentary to explore the issues and taboos surrounding perinatal mental illness in Pakistan. More than 40% of women in Pakistan experience mental illness during pregnancy, and due to a lack of medical validation and treatment, the widely accepted explanation is often that they are demonically possessed, leading to treatment accordingly. The film provides unprecedented access to both a woman fighting for her life as she struggles in real time with perinatal mental illness and a full spectrum of voices close to the issue, including doctors and exorcist healers.
Led by an award-winning female filmmaking team, including consulting director Sara Hirsh Bordo (director of A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story), and supported by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, our film aims to tell this story in a way that changes hearts and minds about women’s health.
Best Short Documentary
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