Just Peace Movie Night Tuesday, 6 October 2026 at The Humanity Hub

This special screening of The Sharp Edge of Peace, directed by Roya Sadat, is organised as part of the Gender Justice in International Law Conference, taking place in The Hague on 6–7 October 2026. The event is organised by The Hague Humanity Hub and Art Works Projects, with the support the Gender Justice in International Law Conference.

The screening will include a viewing of the exhibition ‘Women Between Peace and War: Afghanistan’and will be followed by a conversation bringing together Afghan, legal, humanitarian and advocacy perspectives to reflect on the situation of women in Afghanistan today and explore the role of international law, diplomacy, civil society and storytelling in keeping their rights and voices on the international agenda.

About the event

In 2021, four Afghan women — Fatima Gailani, Fawzia Koofi, Habiba Sarabi and Sharifa Zurmati — sat across the negotiating table from the Taliban as members of the Afghan government negotiating team. They entered the talks as political actors and representatives of their country, seeking a path towards peace while defending rights that Afghan women had fought for over decades.

The Sharp Edge of Peace, directed by groundbreaking Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat, takes audiences behind the scenes of these negotiations and follows the women as they navigate political pressure, personal risk and profound uncertainty about Afghanistan’s future. Five years after the Taliban returned to power, the film provides a starting point for a wider conversation: where do the struggle for Afghan women’s rights and international efforts towards justice and accountability stand today — and what role can the international community still play?

Following the screening, we will bring together perspectives from international law, humanitarian and development organisations, Afghan women’s rights and peacebuilding, and documentary storytelling. The conversation will explore the legal and diplomatic avenues being pursued to address violations of women’s rights; current debates around the concept of gender apartheid; the challenges of supporting Afghan women without reinforcing or legitimising Taliban rule; and the initiatives that continue to protect women’s education, leadership and civic participation.

We will also ask a broader question particularly relevant to The Hague: how can international institutions, governments, civil society, practitioners and citizens contribute to sustaining attention, accountability and meaningful support when a crisis risks disappearing from international focus?

The panel speakers will be announced soon.

About the film

The Sharp Edge of PeaceDirected by Roya SadatProduced by MIRA Studios and Roya Film HouseDocumentary | 2024 | 60 minutes

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

Part of the Gender Justice in International Law Conference

This special Just Peace Movie Night forms part of the wider programme around the Gender Justice in International Law Conference, taking place in The Hague on 6–7 October 2026.

The conference brings together practitioners, scholars, activists, survivors and policymakers working on gender justice, international law and accountability. By opening the conversation to a wider public audience, this Movie Night creates a bridge between specialist discussions taking place during the conference and the people, experiences and realities at the heart of them.

Who is this event for?

The event is open to everyone. We particularly welcome conference participants, legal professionals, civil society organisations, humanitarian and development practitioners, peacebuilders, researchers, students and anyone interested in Afghanistan, women’s rights, gender justice, peacebuilding and international accountability.

Admission is free, but registration is required.

Organised by Art Works Projects and The Hague Humanity Hub, with the support of Cordaid, the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice and the German Embassy to the Netherlands.

About Just Peace Movie Nights

Just Peace Movie Nights is a public engagement initiative of The Hague Humanity Hub using film as a starting point for dialogue on pressing peace and justice issues. Combining documentary storytelling with conversations involving practitioners, researchers, advocates and people with lived experience, the series creates an accessible space for audiences in The Hague to engage with complex global issues, encounter different perspectives and connect with people working towards change.