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MSUB Hosts Screening of the Breadwinner

The cover art for The Breadwinner
Thebreadwinner.com
The Breadwinner was nominated for a Golden Globe as well as 10 animation Annie Awards, winning Best Animated Feature in 2018.

The Women and Gender Studies Center at Montana State University Billings and Global Village are hosting a free screening this Monday of an animated drama that sponsors say is a story of empowerment in a 21st century war zone.

The movie, The Breadwinner, is based on a young adult novel by Deborah Ellis. It follows a young girl, Parvana, in Kabul, Afghanistan, who must cut off her hair and disguise herself as a boy to become the breadwinner for her family when her father is imprisoned.

“Even though this is specifically set in Afghanistan, the themes are relevant for any place and time,” says Jennifer Lynn, MSUB History professor and the center’s director, one of the sponsors of bringing the animated movie to Billings.

“It relates certainly not only to the challenges for girls and women in the economy, but also general issues of gender equity, rights of education, freedom of movement, challenges of women and girls on a daily basis,” Lynn says.

The Breadwinner was nominated for a Golden Globe as well as 10 animation Annie Awards, winning Best Animated Feature in 2018.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said The Breadwinner "reminds us how courageous and strong women are around the world.”

The Breadwinner airs Monday night at 6:30 P.M. at the Art House Cinema and Pub in downtown Billings. Doors open at 6 and the film will start at 6:30 P.M.

Kay Erickson has been working in broadcasting in Billings for more than 20 years. She spent well over a decade as news assignment editor at KTVQ-TV before joining the staff at YPR. She is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, with a degree in broadcast journalism. Shortly after graduation she worked in Great Falls where she was one of the first female sports anchor and reporter in Montana.