This special screening of The Sharp Edge of Peace (MIRA Studios/Roya Film House; directed by Roya Sadat and produced by Leslie Thomas) is presented as part of the Gender Justice in International Law Conference, taking place in The Hague on October 6–7, 2026. The Hague Humanity Hub and Art Works Projects organized the event.
The evening begins with welcoming remarks from Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and a chance to view Art Works Projects’ exhibition, Women Between Peace and War: Afghanistan.
The night continues with a full screening of The Sharp Edge of Peace (MIRA Studios/Roya Film House; directed by Roya Sadat and produced by Leslie Thomas) and wraps with a multidisciplinary conversation connecting the realities portrayed in the film to the situation of women in Afghanistan today.
In 2021, four Afghan women—Fatima Gailani, Fawzia Koofi, Habiba Sarabi, and Sharifa Zurmati—served on the Afghan government’s peace-negotiating team. Roya Sadat’s documentary follows them as they navigate political pressure, personal risk, and profound uncertainty while negotiating with the Taliban and defending rights Afghan women had fought for over decades.
Five years after the Taliban returned to power, the film provides a starting point for a wider conversation about Afghan women’s rights, gender justice, peacebuilding, international accountability, and the role the international community can still play. The discussion will bring together perspectives from international law, humanitarian and development organizations, Afghan women’s rights and peacebuilding, and documentary storytelling.
PROGRAMME
18:00 — Doors open, drinks and snacks, exhibition viewing
18:30 — Welcome and introduction
18:40 — Screening of The Sharp Edge of Peace
19:40 — Panel conversation and audience Q&A
20:30 — Networking drinks
21:30 — End of event
Panel Speakers
Moderator: Leslie Thomas
Founder and Director of Programming at Art Works Projects and founder of Mira Studio
Michelle Jarvis
Director, Gender Justice Practitioner Hub
Niloufar Rahim
General Practitioner and Board Member, Dokters van de Wereld
Alka Sada
Award-winning documentary filmmaker
Jacqueline Molho
Gender Expert at Cordaid
Gender Justice Practitioner Hub - Mobile Help Desk
Alongside the networking drinks of the Humanity Hub's Just Peace Movie Night, the Gender Justice Practitioner Hub is piloting its Mobile Help Desk: a space to sit down one-to-one to work through a concrete gender justice challenge. Sessions are held in English. To request a slot, applicants can submit their question through this short form. The first three applications that fit the format will be confirmed and will receive further information about time and venue.
The application deadline is 4 October 2026.
ABOUT THE FILM
The Sharp Edge of Peace
Directed by Roya Sadat
Produced by MIRA Studios, Roya Film House and Leslie Thomas
Documentary · 2024 · 60 minutes
Panel speakers will be announced soon.
This event is open to everyone. Admission is free, but registration is required.
Organizers
The Hague Humanity Hub and Art Works Projects organized this event, with support from Cordaid, Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice, and the German Embassy to the Netherlands.
This is a special edition of Just Peace Movie Nights, “The Hague Humanity Hub’s public engagement initiative that uses film as a catalyst for dialogue on pressing peace and justice issues. The series creates space for practitioners, academics, policymakers, civil society, and the wider public to deepen understanding, exchange, and explore collective action.”
Art Works Projects believes visual storytelling can do more than bear witness. It can confront abuse, challenge injustice, and move audiences beyond awareness to action. This gathering asks us not simply to remember Afghanistan, but to listen, to reckon, and to act.
This event is part of “Art Works Year 20”—a year-long series of programs, events, and gatherings marking two decades of visual advocacy for human rights and social justice.