Sonia Nassery Cole

Sonia Nassery Cole is an Afghan-American activist, director, writer, and producer.

Early life

Cole was born in Afghanistan, daughter of an Afghan diplomat, in the town of Kabul. She landed a job with the United Nations. 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, and at age 19 she organized a fund-raiser with Reagan. She was married for 21 years to real-estate mogul Christopher H. Cole.

Humanitarian work in Afghanistan

In 2001, Cole returned to Afghanistan and established the Afghanistan World Foundation in 2002 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. 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.

Film career

Cole has made several appearances 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. The film won "best picture" awards in Boston Film Festival, Beverly Hills Film Festival, and Salento Film Festival.