“Sometimes holding up a mirror to society makes people uncomfortable,” says director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. “When they don't like to see a reflection of themselves, they like to shoot the messenger." The multiple Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning director and activist has spent her career elevating the stories of women “who rise like warriors." She makes films about tough topics like honor killings and acid attacks. But for her, the idea of women who rise takes many different forms.
In the illuminating new Hulu documentary, “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, ” (co-directed with Trish Dalton) Obaid-Chinoy now explores the life of the groundbreaking designer and entrepreneur. “Every woman watching this can resonate with Diane's struggles as a single working mother, as well as a woman who was trying to make it in a man's world,” says Obaid-Chinoy. Up next, the director has made history as the first woman and first person of color to helm a “Star Wars” feature. And though she acknowledges that “There is always going to be some form of resistance from people who are not familiar with seeing people like me in places where I have found myself,” she feels fine. As she told me during our recent "Salon Talks" conversation, “I’m ready for that challenge.”
