Rights, Representation, and the Power of Storytelling
Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy discusses how we frame, tell, and promote stories representative of all identities to advocate for the most vulnerable.
About This Event
Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy joins Ertharin Cousin to explore how we can transform media and storytelling to be more diverse, inclusive, and, ultimately, representative of society. Who has the right to determine which stories are told, and by whom, is crucial. Storytelling and media shape how we consume information and form opinions about culture, identity, and current events. Globally available to billions at the click of a button, storytelling can foster global understanding or perpetuate stereotypes and misinformation. It has the power to transform, educate, empower identities and communities, and cause seismic political and social change.
About the Speakers
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Academy Award and Emmy Award winning filmmaker, journalist, and activist 
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is the only female director to have been awarded two Academy Awards by the age of 37. Since 2001, she has made over two dozen multi-award films in over 16 countries around the world and is the recipient of numerous international accolades. Obaid-Chinoy holds a bachelor's degree from Smith College and two masters’ degrees from Stanford University.
Distinguished Fellow, Global Food and Agriculture
Prior to joining the Council, Ertharin Cousin served as executive director of the UN World Food Programme where she led the world’s largest humanitarian organization from 2012 to 2017. She also previously served as US ambassador to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome. Cousin is founder and CEO of Food Systems for the Future.
