Sonia Nassery Cole facts for kids

Sonia Nassery Cole was born in Afghanistan in 1965. She is an American human rights activist, filmmaker, and author.

Sonia's Early Life

Sonia Nassery Cole was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her father was a diplomat. When she was fourteen, she had to leave Afghanistan. This was during the Soviet invasion of 1979. She came to the USA by herself to find safety.

When Sonia was seventeen, she wrote a long letter to President Ronald Reagan. She wrote about the problems in her home country. She asked for his help and hoped to meet him.

Helping People in Afghanistan

In 2002, Sonia started a group called the Afghanistan World Foundation. Through this group, she has raised money for many important things. For example, she helped build a hospital for women and children in Kabul. She also helped provide medical care for people hurt by landmines. Sonia mainly works to make life better for women and children in Afghanistan.

Famous singer Natalie Cole became friends with Sonia. Natalie also joined the board of the Afghanistan World Foundation. Other well-known people like Henry Kissinger, Prince Albert of Monaco, Anne Heche, and Susan Sarandon also joined the board.

Sonia's Film Career

Sonia Nassery Cole has been working in movies since 1994. In 2007, she directed a short film called The Bread Winner.

Her film The Black Tulip was released in 2010. It was chosen to represent Afghanistan at the 83rd Academy Awards. This film won "best picture" awards at the Boston Film Festival, Beverly Hills Film Festival, and the Salento Film Festival.

The Black Tulip is about a family in Kabul. They open a restaurant after the Taliban regime ended. The film was shown at the Ariana Cinema Theater and even at a NATO base. Many news groups like The New York Times and NBC talked about the film.

In 2019, Sonia directed another film called I Am You. This movie is based on the true story of three refugees from Afghanistan.

As an Author

In 2013, Sonia received the Freedom to Write Award. This award came from the PEN Center USA. She also wrote a book called Will I Live Tomorrow?, which came out in October 2013.

Personal Life and Awards

Sonia Nassery Cole lives in New York City and Beverly Hills, California. She is divorced from Christopher H. Cole but still uses his last name. She has one son.

Sonia has received several awards for her work. On December 4, 2006, she got a "Congressional Recognition" award. She also received the "Afghan American Sisterhood Award" and the "UN Women Together Award" in 2012.