Noble Laureate Malala Yousafzai launches film production house; announces first slate

Malala Yousafzai, the Noble Prize winner and activist, ventures into film production in association with Apple. 

Her production banner Extracurricular has partnered with the indie studio A24 for an untitled feature documentary on the legendary Haenyeo society of fisherwomen who live on South Korea's Jeju Island. Directed by Sue Kim, the documentary will premiere on Apple TV+. Malala recently unveiled her first slate of film and TV projects for Apple TV+ through Extracurricular.

The slate includes a feature based on Elaine Hsieh Chou's book Disorientation about a college student's revealing dissertation on a young poet. The production is also working on a series based on the New York Times best-selling novel Fifty Words of Rain by Asha Lemmie that revolves around a woman's search for acceptance in post-World War II Japan.

Speaking to Variety, Malala said, "What I hope to bring to the table are the voices of women of colour, and debut writers and Muslim directors and writers. I hope we can have a wide range of perspectives and we challenge some of the stereotypes we hold in our societies. I also hope that the content is entertaining, and that people fall in love with the characters and have the best time together."