One of the female singers loses her scarf while singing, and as a result receives threats from those who wish to kill her. The road to liberalism and equality seems like an idea beyond reach but it is not unattainable. Your comment is I doubt she realizes what an impact she has had on the British documentary community. Where to Watch Afghan Star Afghan Star is available to watch free on Kanopy. The film will be screened on More4 on 7 April. Floral Dresses To Chic Bags - Heres How I Refreshed My Summer Closet From Flipkart On A Budget! In fact, the smartest people on earth are usually the ones who are the most logical. Afghan Star is a reality television show competition that searches for the most talented singers across Afghanistan. The film focuses on four of the top contestants, Rafi Naabzada, Hameed Sakhizada, Setara Hussainzada, and Lema Sahar. UNRATED Year: 2009 87 Website 440 Views. Setara was eventually evicted from her home. Production: Zeitgeist Films. Instead, its just sort of there. Running time: 87 minutes. For one thing, the patriarchal culture makes it unlikely that women will participate, and when a couple do, one of them, Setara Hussainzada, gets in trouble for dancing on-stage and accidentally letting her headscarf slip; not only is she removed from the show, but she has to go into hiding for her safety. Now hopes are high that this hit show can unite Afghanistan's diverse ethnic groups and help bring an end to conflict. He is Hazara, from the centre of the country, where the Bamiyan Buddhas were blown up by the Taliban, and has an interest in traditional music. Quantico, where Marines train before Afghan tours. Habib Amiri Setara Hussainzada Rafi Naabzada Hameed Sakhizada Lema Sahar: Cinematography: Phil Stebbing: Edited by: Ash Jenkins: Music by . HM: Daoud Sadiqi, Afghan Star's presenter, who recently sought asylum in the US, has just been granted asylum, which is great news for him and I am very happy. At: Kendall Square. Your comment is The selection of these people gives the film an interesting dynamic because all four hail from different parts of Afghanistan and two of them are women. The shows judges drive around in armoured vehicles. D: Do you keep in touch with any of the subjects, or have any recent news? But only a few years out of Taliban-era prohibition of music, television and dance, the unapologetic spectacle of celebrity culture in a format like Afghan Star tests the limits of how far this society is willing to go, revealing cracks in the surface of the "new" Afghanistan. What we get is troubling enough even before Hussainzadas child is born and further hardships are endured. And all the ethnic groups were represented." We Say, Yes! ", Raafi Naabzada, Hameed Sajhizada, Setara Hussainzada, Lima Sahar, Daoud Sediqi. Afghan Star's popularity is a bona fide phenomenon, and filmmaker Havana Marking explores . With wonderful touches like watching a little Afghan girl at home making her Caucasian Barbie doll sing Afghan pop music and wear a burka, Afghan Star is an intimate peek into the lives of people who haven't been allowed to sing or watch TV under Taliban rule for approximately 20 years, as they risk their lives to create their own version of American Idol. Mad visionaries that they are, they gave me 15k immediately. "Dancing may be liked overseas, but Afghans don't approve," says Rafi. When one of the female contestants takes off her headscarf to sing, one feels a little uneasy; as an outsider, one can only guess at the true nature of the risks she is taking. "Music is banned by religion," she says. The resulting tensions, unfolding in front of the camera, are what ultimately push the film beyond its own conventional framework. Here's an article from the July 2009 Documentary Online in conjunction with the film's theatrical run in June and July.. Daoud Sadiqi, the affable host and emcee, waves the Taliban away with a snap of his fingers and calls contestants--dancing or not--"just characters I can make a better culture with." United Kingdom's official submission to 82nd Academy Award's Foreign Language in 2010. Setara, a single woman who lives alone (something that is almost unheard of), has much to fear. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Story of Hameed Sakhizada, appearing in the third season of the Afghan reality show Afghan Star. We all have the ability to influence the lives of others by our words, thoughts, actions, and even our blood. The show is popular among ordinary Afghan people and fans vote for their favorite contestants even across ethnic lines.Contestant Setara Hussainzada is the first of the four to be eliminated. 0 current holds with 1 total copy. Afghan Star, the TV show, is exactly what American Idol would look like if the contestants were playing for the biggest stakes imaginable: political and social freedom, gender equality, a chance to heal a country 30 years under the yokes of war and religious dictatorship. Contestants Rafi Naabzada (lef) and Lima Sahar (center) performing on stage in Havana Marking's Afghan Star, a Zeitgeist Films release. Start the wiki, Javascript is required to view shouts on this page. HM: Setara became the main character when she danced on stage. D: Are there any other filmmakers in particular from whom you draw inspiration? In these difficult times, one entrepreneurial broadcast company, Tolo, has inaugurated Afghan Star, . Im so happy! To follow him, go to www.twitter.com/tyburr. An eerie silence ensues between sound bites. If we didn't care about Setara--and of course, if I hadn't cared about her in the first place--the film would not be so intense or important. Sorry, we That same year, the Soviets invaded to prop up the communist government. Havana Markings 2009 documentary Afghan Star captured the drama as it unfolded, with the singers attracting massive followings in their home provinces and elsewhere and the two women contestants, Hussainzada and Lema Sahar, becoming cultural flashpoints. General o Since the late 1970s, Afghan people have suffered foreign invasions, civil wars, and Taliban rule. Setara is instantly labelled a loose woman and is publicly condemned for this "insult and degradation" by the ex-governor of her home city of Herat, one of whose young citizens claims sincerely that she deserves to be killed. It's a tough industry, and in the UK it can feel quite cutthroat. Afghan Star. Este documental muestra las dificultades y al riesgo que corren estos concursantes, ya que estn continuamente expuestos a la amenaza . When she ventures out to a closed shopping arcade, a pair of burqa-clad women approach her; you expect a tongue-lashing but instead shes praised as an inspirational figure. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. We then went to More4 True Stories; Sandra Whipham commissioned it instantly. D: How has making this film influenced your interests and aspirations as a filmmaker? (Setara Hussainzada) Get this album or track at: 0:26: 5. The show is hardly racy by Western standards; indeed, with men in dodgy suits and understandably limited production values, the program feels as if it could have been made in the 1970s, before the wars started. The familys were all sleeping, so he wasnt able to kill them. The contestants become national celebrities with people campaigning for votes which are cast via SMS. I went to Afghanistan in January 2002, just a few months after the Taliban fled Kabul, to make a documentary for the BBC about the return of music to the capital. Details of other showings: afghanstardocumentary.com. View rank on IMDbPro . Death threats, bomb scares, battling extremists in a conservative society like Afghanistan is a daily affair. Even more explicitly, the producers used the contest to promote a national, inter-ethnic unity. Afghan Star, which opened June 26 in New York through Zeitgeist, opens July 17 in Washington, DC, and July 24 in Los Angeles. Afghan Star was directed by Havana Marking and is distributed by Zeitgeist Films. While one-third of Afghanistan watches, Rafi Naabzada wins the final round, becoming the Afghan Star. HM: There were no personal threats, but a general protocol had to be followed. Setara Hussainzada, a former Afghan Star participant, was devastated when her fellow countrymen called her a woman of "loose" character for dancing and singing showing her hair. Mostly Islamist in outlook, the Mujahideen placed restrictions on music and outlawed women singers. Afghan singer who appeared on the third season of "Afghan Star. Conservative clerics hated her. How did you get started and put it all together? RECOMMENDED Make a list of what you're willing to die for. Running time: 1 hour 27 minutes. A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. Since 2005, millions have been tuning in to Tolo TV's wildly popular American Idol-style series "Afghan Star." Video Collection: Youtube Title: Episode 37 - Special Concert. The contestants are kept safe inside the show compound for the duration of the show. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. Boston.com article page player in wide format. Menu. Women could sing in public without being whipped. Official Sites, View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. Here are some of the ways that logic really matters in our work. Man in the street: [after Setara adds dance moves to her song] She should be killed. Although music was still permitted on radio and TV, musicians were required to support the regime. After Daoud Sediqi decides to air the footage, there is outrage in the conservative Muslim community and Setara receives death threats and is evicted from her apartment. Dont misunderstand. Afghan Star follows the story of Hameed Sakhizada, Setara Hussainzada, Rafi Naabzada, and Lema Sahar, four contestants appearing in the third season of the Afghan reality show Afghan Star. The message in his songs is national inclusiveness and unity. As the competition nears its climax, she claims even the Taliban are voting for her - because she is Pashtun. I am 100 percent happy with the film, so, no, I wouldn't do anything differently. In a chilling scene, a young man looks solemnly at the camera as he declares Setara should be killed for her transgressions. All four contestantsRaafi Naabzada, Hameed Sajhizada, Setara Hussainzada, Lima Saharare likable, even if their talent might seem fairly limited to anyone without a taste for the kind of songs they perform. There was a warlord in the northwest who suddenly freaked out, so we had to cancel a shoot as his local militia was on the rampage there. She just wants to express herself with a youthful passion for which her countrymen (and women) arent ready. Maybe theyll come away with a knowledge of how much can really ride on a song. For a brief moment, Marking's lens brings some of the colors of these conflicts into focus, before dissolving into so many more questions. SILENCING THE SONG: An Afghan Fallen Star, Time: tonight, 8-8:35 ; additional airings Jan. 28, Feb. 5, Feb. 22. Current holds. While HBO should be commended for showing this film, were not the audience that really needs to see it. Sediqi - who rebelled against Taliban rule by secretly repairing people's video recorders - wasn't exaggerating Afghan Star's huge influence. Out in the streets, condemnation of Setara is not limited to the "old guard." Feel free to contribute! Unfortunately for Sadiqi, the continuing drama that makes the story so rich has very real consequences for its characters, and he reportedly left Afghanistan to seek asylum in the US as the film screened at Sundance. Ghazal Music Audition - Afghan Star Season 15, Mahali Music Audition - Afghan Star Season 15, Pop Music Audition - Afghan Star Season 15. The idea of following the four finalists in the showand looking at their diverse tribal backgroundsprovides the film with a solid framework. . "So we'd just follow the action, turn up, drink tea, wait for the moment to shoot and leave. Introducing Ahmad Sham Sufi Qawwali Group, Rococo: Travel, Pleasure & Madness (Original Soundtrack), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. She said she had feelings on the stage, as she had already been evicted (votes decide who stays). Afghan Star is a talent quest which scours for hot new musical talent in the nation of Afghanistan. could not find your e-mail or password. Finally, there is Setara Hussainzada, 22, from Herat, a conservative city in the west. X . It's not a lot, but along with their support and contacts it made all the difference. The latter describes taking singing lessons in secret, hiding her music books and computer from the Taliban. film before: The Crippendales) and so I was the hurdle. Marking also films an Islamic council of scholars inveighing against the shows immorality and predicting wholesale social collapse as a result. Afghan Star-Top7-Setara Hussainzada - YouTube 0:00 / 2:45 Afghan Star-Top7-Setara Hussainzada 282,849 views Feb 9, 2008 See www.afghanstar.tv for more information, or to comment on this. When I am performing, I am singing for the people, the feeling of freedom comes to my soul. Setara hussainzada ended up being a bad man. Our actions can have a profound impact on other people, and its actually quite possible to make friends and even change the lives of others. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Eleven He was a great music fan, and my guide to Afghan music," she says. As the nation attempts to find peace after decades of conflict, 'Afghan Star' follows the screening of a 'Pop Idol' style television program, apparently gripping the nation. Two women made it to the final four contestants that year. The governing irony is that one cultures pop junk is anothers salvation. This would be humorous if it werent so murderously meant and if a democratic Afghanistan werent still an idea very much in play. Not rated. TV Shows. Fastest Charging On Any Nord Phone Ever & Other Reasons Why OnePlus Nord 2T Is Worth Every Penny! The story hinges on one climactic moment that itself might seem rather underwhelming to Westerners unfamiliar with regressive interpretations of Islamic morality, but is as good as any fiction. In early July, on the heels of the film's New York premiere, director Havana Marking discussed her experience with Documentary via e-mail.