Filmed over five years, WRITING HAWA tells the story of three generations of Hazara women from the same family in Afghanistan. With unique access and deep empathy, director Najiba Noori films her mother Hawa and her niece Zahra as they aspire to emancipate themselves from patriarchal traditions.

Forced into marriage as a child, Hawa is 52 years old when she can finally begin learning to read and write. With the support of her daughter, she opens a small textile business: searching for traditional Hazara embroideries in the Bamiyan region and turning them into modern dresses to sell in Kabul.

Hawa eventually rescues her granddaughter Zahra from her abusive father in a remote village and brings her to the capital. There, they study together and make plans for the future. However, the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021 turns the lives of the three women upside down: Zahra must return to the village she escaped, and Najiba is forced to flee the country, living as a refugee in France. From afar, she helps Hawa continue fighting for her dreams.