Actors Natalie Dormer and David Morrissey have joined forces with Plan International UK’s Because I am a Girl campaign, recording voiceovers for a series of special short films entitled ‘Brave Girls’.

These films, directed by Lucy Tcherniak and due to be screened on Channel 4 and social media, aim to highlight the plight of girls worldwide against the forces of stereotypes and discrimination. Three girls are featured, all from different areas of the world; Ethiopia, Nicaragua and the UK. As Natalie Corp, Senior Media and Content Officer for Plan International UK, says, “Each faces a different set of challenges – the risk of female genital mutilation, early pregnancy and online abuse – but all are part of the same spectrum of discrimination based on gender.”

The clips take the form of a film-set, whereby the girls defy the trajectory their life would have taken by storming away from the script that controls their lives. Director Lucy Tcherniak says, “In our film our protagonists choose not to accept their fate…doing so on a film-set from which they finally make their exit. Through this device we wanted to show that, with support, girls can be empowered to face up to prejudices and change their stories for good.”

David Morrissey voices the role of director. He says, “It fills me with hope that girls and boys will one day grow up in a world where their opportunities are equal. Millions of girls around the world are already bravely fighting to change the story and I urge everyone, men and boys included, to join me in backing them as partners and allies.”

‘Because I am a Girl’ is a global campaign for the equality of girls launched by Plan International UK, and not only aims to raise awareness of the global prevalence of discrimination but also of the power that these girls have to break the cycle of abuse.

The #BraveGirls campaign has already received backing from a huge range of celebrities on Twitter, including Katherine Ryan, Sandi Toksvig, Mariella Frostrup, Rav Bansal, Alastair Stewart and Joanne Frogatt.

Today, one in five adolescent girls are denied the right to an education due to the pressures of poverty, conflict and discrimination. This lack of education often marks the end of that girl being able to choose her own future. Plan International UK works to eliminate the barriers to education and gender equality, working for over 75 years in more than 70 countries.

Watch Brave Girls below:

 

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Kirsten Ehrlich is currently studying archaeology at UCL, but is interested in pursuing a career in journalism after gaining her degree.

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