The Light in Her Eyes

At a glance

The Light in Her Eyes, is a 2011 Syrian movie, directed by Laura Nix and Julia Meltzer. with a runtime of 55 minutes.

Overview

The Light in Her Eyes is an American documentary film that follows Houda al-Habash, a conservative Muslim preacher who founded a Qur'an school for girls in Damascus, Syria at just seventeen years old. Each summer, her students undergo rigorous religious study alongside their secular schooling, as Houda insists that educating women is itself an act of worship — using Qur'anic teachings to encourage her students to pursue careers, higher education, and public life. Shot just before the Syrian uprising erupted, the film captures a rare and intimate view of a grassroots social movement thriving under a repressive state, making it both a portrait of a remarkable woman and a document of a society on the cusp of transformation.

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