Happy Friday! As I sit here typing this post this morning, my daughters are sitting in their homerooms at their respective schools ready to learn.  I’m betting they are feeling a sense of privilege to be doing something so ordinary after watching He named me Malala last night. As their Mom, I felt honored to have the ability to share this special pre-screening movie with them, all because I work in this great digital industry in this great country, where women and girls and their educations have value.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Review Wire Media for 20th Century Fox. I received information to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Global Broadcast of He Named Me Malala Monday, February 29^th, 8 pm EST/7 pm CST on National Geographic Channel.

About the Movie:

“HE NAMED ME MALALA is an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. The then 15-year-old was singled out, along with her father, for advocating for girls’ education, and the attack on her sparked an outcry from supporters around the world. She miraculously survived and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund.

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman) shows us how Malala, her father Zia and her family are committed to fighting for education for all girls worldwide. The film gives us an inside glimpse into this extraordinary young girl’s life – from her close relationship with her father who inspired her love for education, to her impassioned speeches at the UN, to her everyday life with her parents and brothers.”

My Thoughts:

Watching this movie with my teen daughters was an amazing opportunity! I was moved by Malala’s love of learning, her sweet and funny interactions with her brothers, her adoration for her father and her respect for her mother. But what moved me most, was how my daughters reacted to this powerful movie.  Upon learning that today over 60 million girls are out of school globally, we all shook our heads and asked how can that be? How can this type of discrimination be allowed to continue?

It was not okay for one girl from Pakistan, so she raised her voice for herself, for the girls in her village and now- for all girls around the world. 

Malala said at one point in the movie that if she had not been shot by the Taliban, she would probably have 3 children and a husband by now. She is 17 years old! I cannot fathom this! My oldest daughter will turn 17 next month and she is thinking of exams and spring break with friends and in the near future; college. She certainly isn’t thinking about being a wife and a Mom.

He named me Malala takes us on a journey of a family living peacefully in a small, beautiful village in Pakistan. We learned about peace and faith and hope from Malala and then, we saw ugliness and oppression of not just women and girls, but those who stood up for them.

The documentary offers a look into the life of Malala Yousafzai both before and after the attack. She was just 15 when she, along with her father was singled out for advocating girls’ education. The shooting sparked an outcry from supporters around the world.

Here is a special movie clip of Malala with her father for you to enjoy:

I am really happy to work with our sponsor, Role Mommy Writers Network, today to share this information with you! I was sent an advanced copy of The Dovekeepers DVD and book and will receive compensation for my time. All opinions are my own. 

As a busy wife and Mom, happily living with every convenience I need in the 21^st century; it was a challenge to think in terms of being a Jewish woman in ancient Israel.  Harder still, to think about being forced out of your homes and banished! 

I started reading Alice Hoffman’s book, The Dovekeepers first; and within minutes I was drawn into the story-line! I could feel the heat of the summer sun beating down in the arid desert in 70 A.D.  I could feel the Assassin’s Daughter’s dry, sunburned skin, I could almost feel her thirst and hunger for a real home as she and her now nomadic family walked on. 

Once I started watching The Dovekeepers advanced DVD copy I was sent, I was equally drawn into the story and the characters came to life in rich detail.  There’s love and betrayal, hope and war and perseverance all intermixed in an exciting and moving story. You’ll not want to miss this must watch TV event! 

CBS presents:  The Dovekeepers, a four-hour limited event series from executive producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, will be broadcast Tuesday, March 31 and Wednesday, April 1, 2015 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT). 

The Dovekeepers back story:

The Dovekeepers will be brought to television from executive producers Roma Downey and multiple Emmy Award winner Mark Burnett (SURVIVOR, “The Voice”), the production team behind the Emmy-nominated 10-hour miniseries “The Bible,” which scored big ratings for the History Channel in March 2013, and the feature “Son of God.”

Frank Siracusa, John Weber and Yves Simoneau also serve as executive producers, with Simoneau directing. Ann Peacock adapted the novel for the screen.

Cast:

The Dovekeepers stars Cote de Pablo, Rachel Brosnahan and Kathryn Prescott in the title Dovekeepers roles, Sam Neill as first-century Jewish scholar and historian Josephus, and Diego Boneta as a star warrior of the Jewish army at Masada. 

Sneak Peak! 

Check out this video to see the cast in action.