Tamana Ayazi

Why you should listen

Born and raised in Balkh, in the northern region of Afghanistan, Tamana Ayazi is a passionate champion of freedom of thought and human rights who uses storytelling as a tool to advocate for equality and positive change. She became a National Geographic Explorer in 2018, and in 2022 began assisting Amnesty International in its research focused on women and children in Afghanistan.

Ayazi’s film credits include the 2019 Academy Award-winning short documentary Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl). Her first feature-length documentary, In Her Hands, co-directed by Marcel Mettelsiefen, premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2022, won the Audience Award at the 2022 Camden International Film Festival and will be available to stream on Netflix on November 16, 2022.