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To express support to Afghan women, WMM (Women Make Movies) has made 9 amazing films about women in Afghanistan absolutely free!
From the award-winning ‘Sonita’ about a young rapper whose parents want to sell her as a bride, to ‘Afghanistan Unveiled’ about first-ever team of women video journalists trained in Afghanistan—the list of films on WMM website is very exciting.
WMM (Women Make Movies) has written on their website: “In the midst of our fear for women’s lives and rights, it’s important to know more about the lives of Afghan women — to see their struggles as well as their incredible triumphs over the last 20 years.”
WMM (Women Make Movies) has written about the Voices of Afghan Women Collection and their decision to screen it free.
“This selection of films from the WMM collection sheds light on the history of this region and, in particular, relates the voices and lived experiences of Afghan women.
As we watch with heavy hearts as the Taliban takes over in Afghanistan, we are making a selection of films available for free that shed light on the history of this region and, most importantly, that highlight the voices and lived experiences of Afghan women.
From the story of the first woman member of parliament to the first women video journalists in the country. From the story of a woman fighting against sexual abuse and winning in the courts to the triumph of Sonita over child marriage, the films in this collection demonstrate what Afghan woman have accomplished in a generation.
This context is important as we contemplate how to support women in Afghanistan moving forward.
In response to this important moment, we are making the films in our Voices of Afghan Women collection available to watch for free August 19, 2021 through Tuesday, August 31, 2021.”
Here are the 9 amazing films about women in Afghanistan you can watch for free!
A film by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami | Iran/Germany/Switzerland | 2015 | 91 minutes
Two-time Sundance Film Festival award winner SONITA tells the inspiring story of Sonita Alizadeh, an 18-year-old Afghan refugee in Iran, who and dreams of becoming a big-name rapper. However, her family has a very different future planned for her: as a bride, she’s worth $9,000.
A film by Anneta Papathanassiou | Greece | 2014 | 58 minutes
In Afghanistan, women deciding to be actors make a dangerous choice. Banned under Taliban rule (1994-2001), Afghan theater experienced a comeback in the early 2000s, with many women at the forefront. Playing With Fire introduces us to six courageous Afghan women who share their passions for acting, dreams, and difficult realities.
A film by Eva Mulvad and Anja Al-Erhayem | Denmark | 2006 | 59 minutes
In September 2005, Afghanistan held its first parliamentary elections in 35 years. Among the candidates for 249 assembly seats was Malalai Joya, a courageous, controversial 27-year-old woman who had ignited outrage among hard-liners when she spoke out against corrupt warlords at the Grand Council of tribal elders in 2003. Enemies Of Happiness is a revelatory portrait of this extraordinary freedom fighter and the way she won the hearts of voters, as well as a snapshot of life and politics in war-torn Afghanistan.
A film by Brigitte Brault & Aina Women Filming Group Afghanistan | 2003 | 52 minutes | French
Filmed by the first-ever team of women video journalists trained in Afghanistan, this rare and uncompromising film explores the effects of the Taliban’s rule and recent U.S.-sponsored bombing campaign on Afghani women. None of the fourteen journalist trainees had ever travelled outside Kabul. Except for one, none had been able to study or pursue careers while the Taliban controlled their country.
A film by Benedetta Argentieri | Afghanistan/Syria/Iraq | 2019 | 72 minutes
A Portrait of Three Women in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq Leading the Fight for Gender Equality! Politician Selay Ghaffar, one of the most wanted people in the world by the Taliban; Rojda Felat, a commander of the Syrian Democratic Army; and Yanar Mohammed, who works for parliamentary reform in Iraq while running shelters for abused women.
A film by Sahra Mani | France/Afghanistan | 2018 | 80 minutes
A Thousand Girls Like Me tells the story of a young Afghan woman’s fight to protect her children after experiencing years of abuse at the hands of her father. In 2014, she appeared on national television to publicly accuse her father, finally succeeding in bringing her case to court despite threats from male relatives and judges who labelled her a liar.
A film by Munizae Jahangir | Pakistan | 2003 | 54 minutes
Search For Freedom traces the dramatic social and political history of Afghanistan from the 1920s-2003 through the stories of four remarkable women. There is Princess Shafiqa Saroj, sister of the beloved progressive King Amanullah (1919-1929); Mairman Parveen, the first woman to sing on Afghan radio; Moshina, a war widow and survivor of a Taliban massacre; and Sohaila, an exiled medical student who ran underground schools for RAWA (Revolutionary Association of Afghan Women) during the Taliban regime.
A film by Alba Sotorra I 2019 I 52 mins
In this revealing documentary five extraordinary women talk about their occupations, aspirations, and the status of women in their countries. Captured by Spanish filmmaker Alba Sotorra, who hitchhiked from Barcelona to Pakistan to shoot Unveiled Views, these self-portraits of heroism and pride challenge conventional Western stereotypes about women in the Islamic world.
A film by Rebecca Barry | Australia | 2013 | 88 minutes
There is a group of people in the world today who are more persecuted than anyone else, but they are not political or religious activists. They are girls. Being born a girl means you are more likely to be subjected to violence, disease, poverty and disadvantage than any other group on Earth. In I Am A Girl, we meet 14-year-old Kimsey from Cambodia forced to sell her virginity at 12, Habiba from Cameroon, betrothed to a man 20 years her senior, and Aziza from Afghanistan who will be shot if she goes to school.
Women Make Movies (WMM) is one of the world’s leading distributor of independent films by and about women.
For over 45 years, Women Make Movies has been championing women filmmakers and their stories. WMM-supported films and filmmakers have been recognized at Sundance, the Emmys, the Peabodys, and the Academy Awards.
They support women producers and directors from the beginning and plant the seeds for a gender-equal filmmaking landscape! They have chosen to make the films free for viewing as a mark of support to the women of Afghanistan.
Image source: Still from A Thousand Girls Like Me
Sonia Chopra is Senior Editor, Women's Web and has over 15 years of writing and editing experience. read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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