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{{for|the British archaeologist|Sonia Mary Cole}}
{{For|the British archaeologist|Sonia Mary Cole}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
|image =
| image =
⚫
| name = Sonia Nassery Cole
|imagesize =
| name = Sonia Nassery Cole
| birth_name = Sonia Nassery
| birth_date =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1965}}
| birth_place = [[Kabul, Afghanistan]]
| birth_place = [[Kabul]], Afghanistan
| death_date =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_place =
| occupation = Filmmaker<br/>author<br/>human rights activist
⚫
| othername = Sonia Nassery
| yearsactive = 1994–present
| occupation = Activist<br>Director<br>Writer<br>Producer
⚫
| awards =
| yearsactive = 1994 &ndash; present
| spouse = Christoper H. Cole (divorced)
⚫
| awards =
| spouse = Christoper H. Cole (divorced)
| children = 1
| website = http://www.afghanistanworldfoundation.org
| website = {{url|http://www.afghanistanworldfoundation.org}}
}}
}}
'''Sonia Nassery Cole''' ({{Langx|prs|سونیا ناصری کول}}; born 1965)<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Barnes|first=Brooks|date=2010-09-21|title=A Director's Many Battles to Make Her Movie|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/movies/22tulip.html|access-date=2021-05-12|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> is an [[Afghan Americans|Afghan-born American]] human rights activist, filmmaker, and author.
'''Sonia Nassery Cole''' is an [[Afghan Americans|Afghan American]] activist, director, writer, and producer.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Sonia Nassery Cole was born in [[Kabul]], Afghanistan, the daughter of an Afghan diplomat.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}}. At fourteen, she fled Afghanistan amid the [[Soviet—Afghan War|Soviet invasion of 1979]] to seek refuge in the [[United States|United States of America]] without her family.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Reed|first=Rex|date=2012-10-23|title=Full Bloom: A Light Shines Through as The Black Tulip Blossoms Amidst Harsh Censorship and Brutal Rule by the Taliban|url=https://observer.com/2012/10/rex-reed-black-tulip-afghanistan-womens-rights-sonia-nassery-cole/|access-date=2021-05-12|website=Observer|language=en-US}}</ref>
Cole was born in [[Afghanistan]], daughter of an Afghan diplomat, in the town of [[Kabul]].{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} She landed a job with the [[United Nations]].<ref name="WSJ">{{cite journal|url=http://magazine.wsj.com/hunter/afghan-rebel/|title=Afghan Rebel. For more than 20 years, Sonia Nassery Cole has worked the society-gala circuit and the halls of Washington in aid of her native land|publisher=''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''|accessdate=December 10, 2010}}</ref> From the Soviet Union she wrote to [[Ronald Reagan]] to help her country; he agreed to meet her and accept her into the anti-Soviet elite,<ref name="WSJ"/> and at age 19 she organized a fund-raiser with Reagan.<ref name="WSJ"/> She was married for 21 years to real-estate mogul Christopher H. Cole.<ref>{{citation|url=https://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20131023-705194.html|title=American Realty to Buy Cole Real Estate for About $7 Billion|publisher=''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''|accessdate=December 20, 2013}}</ref>

At seventeen, she wrote a nine-page letter to President [[Ronald Reagan]] about the situation in her country and pleaded for help and sought to meet him.<ref name=":0" />


==Humanitarian work in Afghanistan==
==Humanitarian work in Afghanistan==
In 2001, Cole returned to Afghanistan and established the [[Afghanistan]] World Foundation in 2002<ref>''Los Angeles Magazine'', January 2004, p.138</ref> which raised funds used for various necessities such as the construction of a hospital for women and children in Kabul, medical care for land-mine victims, and other causes.<ref name="WSJ"/> Cole primarily deals with improving the conditions for women and children in Afghanistan. Sonia also befriended singer [[Natalie Cole]] while she was working with the Afghan World Foundation.<ref name="CNN">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eyyi9W4HuZ0|title=Interview with Sonia Nassery Cole |publisher=[[CNN]]|accessdate=December 10, 2010}}</ref>
Cole founded the Afghanistan World Foundation in 2002 and began making films. She was instrumental in raising funds used for various necessities such as the construction of a hospital for women and children in [[Kabul]], medical care for land-mine victims, and other causes.<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news|url=http://magazine.wsj.com/hunter/afghan-rebel/|title=Afghan Rebel. For more than 20 years, Sonia Nassery Cole has worked the society-gala circuit and the halls of Washington in aid of her native land|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|accessdate=December 10, 2010}}</ref> Cole primarily deals with improving the conditions for women and children in Afghanistan.

Sonia also befriended singer [[Natalie Cole]] while she was working with the Afghan World Foundation. She became a board member for the organization along [[Henry Kissinger]], [[Albert II, Prince of Monaco|Prince Albert of Monaco]], [[Anne Heche]] and [[Susan Sarandon]].


==Film career==
==Film career==
Cole has made several appearances in film since 1994. In 2007, she directed the short film ''The Bread Winner''.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0989797/combined IMDb]</ref> In 2010, her film ''[[The Black Tulip (2010 film)|The Black Tulip]]'' was selected as Afghanistan's official entry for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] at the [[83rd Academy Awards]].<ref name="The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences">{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/members/screenings/scr_flfa/white.html |title=2010-2011 Foreign Language Film Award Screening Schedule |accessdate=2010-12-20|publisher = The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref> The film won "best picture" awards in Boston Film Festival, Beverly Hills Film Festival, and Salento Film Festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://breadwinnerfilms.com/work/blacktulip/press/|title=Breadwinner Productions - Black Tulip - Press|accessdate=November 5, 2013}}</ref>
Cole has worked in film since 1994. In 2007, she directed the short film ''The Bread Winner''. In 2010, her film ''[[The Black Tulip (2010 film)|The Black Tulip]]'' was selected as Afghanistan's official entry for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] at the [[83rd Academy Awards]].<ref name="The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences">{{cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/members/screenings/scr_flfa/white.html |title=2010–2011 Foreign Language Film Award Screening Schedule |accessdate=2010-12-20|publisher = The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref> The film won "best picture" awards in [[Boston Film Festival]], [[Beverly Hills Film Festival]], and the Salento Film Festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://breadwinnerfilms.com/work/blacktulip/press/|title=Breadwinner Productions – Black Tulip – Press|accessdate=November 5, 2013}}</ref>


The film, which premiered at the Ariana Cinema Theater on September 23, 2010 and screened at the NATO base as well as an American Embassy, and distributed by SnagFilms,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snagfilms.com/blacktulip/|title=Black Tulip - SnagFilms|date=June 26, 2013|accessdate=June 26, 2013}}</ref> is about a family in Kabul opening a restaurant business after the fall of the Taliban regime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68M2YZ20100923|title=Afghan Oscar contender aims to show more than war|publisher=[[Reuters]]|date=September 23, 2010|accessdate=December 10, 2010}}</ref> The film received press in ''New York Times'', ''New York Observer'', NBC, and ABC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://breadwinnerfilms.com/press/|title=Breadwinner Productions - Press|accessdate=November 5, 2013}}</ref>
The film, which premiered at the Ariana Cinema Theater on September 23, 2010 and screened at the [[NATO]] base as well as an American Embassy, was distributed by SnagFilms,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snagfilms.com/blacktulip/|title=Black Tulip – SnagFilms|date=June 26, 2013|accessdate=June 26, 2013}}</ref> and is about a family in Kabul opening a restaurant business after the fall of the Taliban regime.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68M2YZ20100923|title=Afghan Oscar contender aims to show more than war|work=[[Reuters]]|date=September 23, 2010|accessdate=December 10, 2010}}</ref> The film received press in ''[[The New York Times]]'',<ref name=":0" /> ''[[The New York Observer]]'',<ref name=":1" /> [[NBC]], and [[ABC News (United States)|ABC]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://breadwinnerfilms.com/press/|title=Breadwinner Productions – Press|accessdate=November 5, 2013}}</ref>


Her film ''I Am You'' (2019) is an independent feature film based on the true story of three Afghan refugees.<ref>{{Citation |last=Cole |first=Sonia Nassery |title=I Am You |date=2019-08-30 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7011130/ |type=Drama |access-date=2023-06-02 |others=Damla Sönmez, Mert Ramazan Demir, Ushan Çakir |publisher=AZ Celtic Films, Breadwinner Productions}}</ref>
⚫
==Personal life==
⚫
She currently resides in New York City and [[Beverly Hills, California]] and is now divorced from Christopher H. Cole, but retains his surname.<ref name="WSJ"/><ref name="People">{{cite web|url=http://people.timezone.com/mdisher/AP/APWestime1103.htm |title=Preview Party at Westime Rodeo Drive|accessdate=December 10, 2010|work=People}}</ref> She has one son, Christopher A. Cole.


== Author ==
⚫
She is the recipient of a "Congressional Recognition" award on December 4, 2006, "[[Afghan American Sisterhood Award]]," and the "UN Women Together Award" on June 7, 2012. In 2013, she received the Freedom to Write Award from PEN Center USA. She is also a member of the Jodi Solomon Speakers Bureau.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jodisolomonspeakers.com/speaker/sonia-nassery-cole|title=Sonia Nassery Cole - Jodi Solomon Speakers Bureau|accessdate=November 5, 2013}}</ref>
⚫
In 2013, she received the [[PEN American Center inactive awards|Freedom to Write Award]] from [[PEN International|PEN Center]] USA. She has a book, ''Will I Live Tomorrow?'', released in October 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Will I Live Tomorrow? – BenBella|url=http://shop.benbellabooks.com/Will-I-Live-Tomorrow-E-book.html|accessdate=November 5, 2013}}</ref>


⚫
==Personal life==
⚫
She has a book, "Will I Live Tomorrow?," released in October 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://shop.benbellabooks.com/Will-I-Live-Tomorrow-E-book.html|title=Will I Live Tomorrow? - BenBella|accessdate=November 5, 2013}}</ref>
⚫
She currently resides in New York City and [[Beverly Hills, California]] and is now divorced from Christopher H. Cole, but retains his surname.<ref name="WSJ"/><ref name="People">{{cite web|url=http://people.timezone.com/mdisher/AP/APWestime1103.htm |title=Preview Party at Westime Rodeo Drive|accessdate=December 10, 2010|work=People}}</ref> She has one son.

⚫
She is the recipient of a "Congressional Recognition" award on December 4, 2006, "Afghan American Sisterhood Award", and the "UN Women Together Award" on June 7, 2012. Cole is a member of the Jodi Solomon Speakers Bureau.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sonia Nassery Cole – Jodi Solomon Speakers Bureau|url=http://www.jodisolomonspeakers.com/speaker/sonia-nassery-cole|accessdate=November 5, 2013}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


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Latest revision as of 13:01, 9 November 2024

For the British archaeologist, see Sonia Mary Cole.

Sonia Nassery Cole
Born
Sonia Nassery

1965 (age 58–59)
Kabul, Afghanistan
Occupation(s)Filmmaker
author
human rights activist
Years active1994–present
SpouseChristoper H. Cole (divorced)
Children1
Websitewww.afghanistanworldfoundation.org

Sonia Nassery Cole (Dari: سونیا ناصری کول; born 1965)[1] is an Afghan-born American human rights activist, filmmaker, and author.

Early life

[edit]

Sonia Nassery Cole was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, the daughter of an Afghan diplomat.[citation needed]. At fourteen, she fled Afghanistan amid the Soviet invasion of 1979 to seek refuge in the United States of America without her family.[2]

At seventeen, she wrote a nine-page letter to President Ronald Reagan about the situation in her country and pleaded for help and sought to meet him.[1]

Humanitarian work in Afghanistan

[edit]

Cole founded the Afghanistan World Foundation in 2002 and began making films. She was instrumental in raising funds used for various necessities such as the construction of a hospital for women and children in Kabul, medical care for land-mine victims, and other causes.[3] Cole primarily deals with improving the conditions for women and children in Afghanistan.

Sonia also befriended singer Natalie Cole while she was working with the Afghan World Foundation. She became a board member for the organization along Henry Kissinger, Prince Albert of Monaco, Anne Heche and Susan Sarandon.

Film career

[edit]

Cole has worked in film since 1994. In 2007, she directed the short film The Bread Winner. In 2010, her film The Black Tulip was selected as Afghanistan's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards.[4] The film won "best picture" awards in Boston Film Festival, Beverly Hills Film Festival, and the Salento Film Festival.[5]

The film, which premiered at the Ariana Cinema Theater on September 23, 2010 and screened at the NATO base as well as an American Embassy, was distributed by SnagFilms,[6] and is about a family in Kabul opening a restaurant business after the fall of the Taliban regime.[7] The film received press in The New York Times,[1] The New York Observer,[2] NBC, and ABC.[8]

Her film I Am You (2019) is an independent feature film based on the true story of three Afghan refugees.[9]

Author

[edit]

In 2013, she received the Freedom to Write Award from PEN Center USA. She has a book, Will I Live Tomorrow?, released in October 2013.[10]

Personal life

[edit]

She currently resides in New York City and Beverly Hills, California and is now divorced from Christopher H. Cole, but retains his surname.[3][11] She has one son.

She is the recipient of a "Congressional Recognition" award on December 4, 2006, "Afghan American Sisterhood Award", and the "UN Women Together Award" on June 7, 2012. Cole is a member of the Jodi Solomon Speakers Bureau.[12]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Barnes, Brooks (September 21, 2010). "A Director's Many Battles to Make Her Movie". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Reed, Rex (October 23, 2012). "Full Bloom: A Light Shines Through as The Black Tulip Blossoms Amidst Harsh Censorship and Brutal Rule by the Taliban". Observer. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Afghan Rebel. For more than 20 years, Sonia Nassery Cole has worked the society-gala circuit and the halls of Washington in aid of her native land". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  4. ^ "2010–2011 Foreign Language Film Award Screening Schedule". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
  5. ^ "Breadwinner Productions – Black Tulip – Press". Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  6. ^ "Black Tulip – SnagFilms". June 26, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  7. ^ "Afghan Oscar contender aims to show more than war". Reuters. September 23, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  8. ^ "Breadwinner Productions – Press". Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  9. ^ Cole, Sonia Nassery (August 30, 2019), I Am You (Drama), Damla Sönmez, Mert Ramazan Demir, Ushan Çakir, AZ Celtic Films, Breadwinner Productions, retrieved June 2, 2023
  10. ^ "Will I Live Tomorrow? – BenBella". Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  11. ^ "Preview Party at Westime Rodeo Drive". People. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  12. ^ "Sonia Nassery Cole – Jodi Solomon Speakers Bureau". Retrieved November 5, 2013.
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