But Lima and Setara, two of only three women out of an original pool of 2,000 contestants, take a far greater risk--by just daring to make themselves visible. While one contestant emerges as the indisputable heroine, music is the first subject of the film, and protagonists and filmmakers alike want us to see it as they do: powerful, transformative, essential. Setara Hussainzada. 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. We Say, Yes! Man in the street: [after Setara adds dance moves to her song] She should be killed. Afghan Star is a 2008 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 27 minutes. I have no idea if he was a good person that had something to do with his life or if he was a bad person that had something to do with his death. Setara Hussainzada is an Afghan singer who appeared on the third season of "Afghan Star," a popular TV talent show in Afghanistan. What we get is troubling enough even before Hussainzadas child is born and further hardships are endured. I went on my own and filmed for a month. Finally, there was Setara Hussainzada, 22, from Herat in the west of Afghanistan. Director: Havana Marking. Taking the inflammatory convergence of democracy, modernity and pop culture in a fragile "post-war" Afghanistan as its point of departure, Afghan Star is a powerful and evocative documentary, grounded in astute observation and led by compelling human narratives. (One interviewee simply states that she should be killed.). "Mumtaz, our driver, had been in prison for a week under the Taliban because he was found with a music cassette. 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. AFGHAN STAR (director: Havana Marking; cinematographer: Phil Stebbing; editor: Ash Jenkins; music: Simon Russell; cast: Setara Hussainzada, Rafi Nabaazda, Hameed Sahkizada, Lema Sehar, Daoud Sediqi; Runtime: 87; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Havana Marking; Zeitgeist Films; 2009-UK/Afghanistan-English, Dari and Pashtun with English subtitles) It's so slight, and yet it causes a storm of protest, even among her fellow contestants. "They tried it," Marking says, "but the audience hated it.". He was a great music fan, and my guide to Afghan music," she says. We just had to turn up and drink lots of tea and hope the person would agree to filming. View rank on IMDbPro . To the home audience, its the equivalent of Sinead OConnor ripping up a picture of the Pope. In Afghanistan, Marking worked with a very small crew: cameraman Phil Stebbing (who also did the sound), a driver, and a bodyguard (who was an Afghan wrestling champion). And this happiness even makes me feel like dancing.. Its well made. We all have the ability to influence the lives of others by our words, thoughts, actions, and even our blood. Running time: 1 hour 27 minutes. When the Taliban took Kabul in 1996, they restored order but put a total ban on music and TV. Imagine this scenario: Instead of winning American Idol in 2005, Carrie Underwood is voted off the show for conduct unbecoming a woman basically, for enjoying herself while singing. Because of this, it became a crime in the late 1990s todance or listen to music or to watch TV. I came back knowing it would work logistically, and with a taster tape of engaging characters. Afghan Star, which opened June 26 in New York through Zeitgeist, opens July 17 in Washington, DC, and July 24 in Los Angeles. streaming Afghan Star? Marking lacks the sense of urgency to pull it all together. [1] Contents 1 Format The performers in Afghan Star, both men and women, hardly move on stage. Following more than three decades of war and five devastating years of Taliban rule, pop culture is beginning to return to Afghanistan. . Afghan Star, An Unlikely Platform For Liberation in Afghanistan, Is A Beacon Of Hope For Women. The show's director and host Daoud Sediqi explains that it provides an opportunity for Afghans to enjoy music again after the Taliban's ban. Instead, its just sort of there. Afghan Star soundtrack from 2009, composed by Various Artists. Here's an article from the July 2009 Documentary Online in conjunction with the film's theatrical run in June and July. But what we see in this film is how strikingly, and tragically, Afghanistan has moved backwards in the intervening years; and how a latent national enthusiasm for having fun is pitched against a deep set religiosity, sometimes within the same individuals. His company was involved in a massive lawsuit with the government that ultimately ended his life. What Will is atm card is necessary for google pay Be Like in 100 Years? Scrobble, find and rediscover music with a Last.fm account, Do you have the artwork for this album? The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Ms. I think this is the most important thing about Setara Hussainzada, because it shows us how much the government thought about him. Mad visionaries that they are, they gave me 15k immediately. Introducing Ahmad Sham Sufi Qawwali Group, Rococo: Travel, Pleasure & Madness (Original Soundtrack), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. In English, Dari, and Pashtun, with. When you are singing, you are really full of life, says one before begging her not to stop. D: How did the sense of unpredictability (and danger) in the field affect your work as a director, and the development of the film? Her life in danger, the young singer is forced into hiding, with the rest of the country still reeling from her performance. Setara Hussainzada - YouTube 0:00 / 3:16 Setara Hussainzada 200,872 views Dec 22, 2007 301 Dislike Share Save TOLO TV 1.15M subscribers Setara Hussainzada, a finalist in the Top 12 of. See here for our terms of service. Documentary: You've mentioned that you had long been interested in Afghanistan and had heard about the talent show from a journalist. 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. Her act of defiance changes the tone and direction of the film, as the controversy intensifies and new ones arise. Women contestants, in particular, have been the object of much anger among religious conservatives. 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. 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." D: Are there any other filmmakers in particular from whom you draw inspiration? Marking also films an Islamic council of scholars inveighing against the shows immorality and predicting wholesale social collapse as a result. There were just three women among the 2,000 people who auditioned for Afghan Star. . Ty Burr can be reached at tburr@globe.com. The message in his songs is national inclusiveness and unity. 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. "She brought shame to the Herati people," says a young man on the streets of her home town. Entertainment is a risky business in Afghanistan. After all, the smartest people on earth rarely act like idiots. Running time: 87 minutes. Not the slickest or most crowd-pleasing performance-competition docu, but it's nonetheless absorbing. Out in the streets, condemnation of Setara is not limited to the "old guard." "She deserves to be killed." Fearing for her life, Setara goes into hiding. Even the audience members must go through multiple security checks. He was dead, but he got up before the whole family. Video Collection: Youtube Title: Episode 37 - Special Concert. Maybe theyll come away with a knowledge of how much can really ride on a song. He was a good friend of the president of the company that had the lawsuit with the government. 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Connect your Spotify account to your Last.fm account and scrobble everything you listen to, from any Spotify app on any device or platform. She explains that she is open-minded and that she wants other Afghans to be as well. Subscribe to Indiatimes and get handpicked updates based on your interests! I chose to go first to the Channel 4 BritDoc Foundation, which gives development funding for feature docs and nurture new talent. I also heard she was engaged, which is wonderful news. Afghan Star premieres at . Others go much further. What's remarkable about Marking's film is not just the stories of these four contestants but the way it captures everyday life in Afghanistan - its street kids, the show's fans, people talking at street stalls. STARmeter. Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company. Afghan Star is a reality television show competition that searches for the most talented singers across Afghanistan. Thumbnail: Youtube Title - Dari: Episode 02 - Mazar Auditions. The following are edited excerpts from that conversation. Your email address will not be published. Hussainzada, not so much. Not rated. Lima accepts her new freedoms gingerly, in contrast to the more impetuous Setara, who causes a national scandal when she dances and lets her head-covering slip during a televised performance. 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. Marking's film follows the strange odyssey of semifinalists Setara Hussainzada, . Details of other showings: afghanstardocumentary.com. (Setara Hussainzada) Get this album or track at: 0:26: 5. When the Soviets withdrew in 1989, after years of brutal resistance from the Mujahideen, civil war broke out between opposing factions. NewsyVideos. During her farewell performance she dances with free body movements without her hijab, as opposed to the more constrained dancing considered socially appropriate. Is Netflix, Amazon, Fandor, iTunes, etc. Setara Hussainzada, Rafi Naabzada, Lima Sahar. Afghan Star, the documentary about that TV show, is one of the most hopeful and heart-rending movies Ive seen this year. Afghan singer who appeared on the third season of "Afghan Star. Were All in for Arena Reel Star. "I want to be famous so I can sing for my people," says Rafi Nabzaada, a 19-year-old Tajik. Launched in 2005, Afghan Star quickly became the most popular show in the country satiating the nation's thirst for home grown entertainment and filling a void left in the local music scene after decades of war. We wanted a woman singer, but the interior ministry advised us it would be too dangerous. Lema Sahar, 25, is a Pashtun singer from Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold. United Kingdom, 2009. 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. So his family were asleep for a few hours and when they woke up they saw him lying in the hallway. Sadly, most Afghans are not so open-minded. Feel free to contribute! Check out the exclusive TV Guide movie review and see our movie rating for Afghan Star Premiering on HBO2 on 26 January, the new film follows Setara's experience since her last performance on the TV show, in which she memorably danced and removed her headscarf, led to condemnation. The first is that as humans we all have a great deal of power. In a chilling scene, a young man looks solemnly at the camera as he declares Setara should be killed for her transgressions. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion. Edit this wiki. They each wield massive followings who back their respective boys with the fervor of British football fans or our own Red Sox Nation. Afghan Star was directed by Havana Marking and is distributed by Zeitgeist Films. The Taliban outlawed music for five years. Episode 03 - Herat Audition. // ]]]]>