Setara doesnt really want to be the Courtney Love of Afghanistan. Even more explicitly, the producers used the contest to promote a national, inter-ethnic unity. "Music is banned by religion," she says. However, I think the film falls down in its emotional impact mostly due to Markings heavy reliancewhich may have been inevitableon the technically crude footage of the actual show. View rank on IMDbPro . There were just three women among the 2,000 people who auditioned for Afghan Star. His company was involved in a massive lawsuit with the government that ultimately ended his life. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . The resulting tensions, unfolding in front of the camera, are what ultimately push the film beyond its own conventional framework. At the same time, Hussainzada remains an underground celebrity of real power. 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. Thats simply a case of cultural difference and is beside the point of the film, which is to examine the possibility of a show like this cutting through the regional and tribal differences of the contestants and the people voting for them. It's so slight, and yet it causes a storm of protest, even among her fellow contestants. D: Do you keep in touch with any of the subjects, or have any recent news? I think that this is the most important fact about Setara Hussainzada, because it shows us how much the government thought about him when they killed him. It offers a fascinating look into our culture as applied to another culture. It was the first big concert for more than a decade and was broadcast live around the world. Zulala Hashemi, a 16-year-old girl, raised by her widowed mother is all set to break the stereotypes in Afghanistan, city so hidebound that women on streets is a rare sight, and when they do, they are clad in burkhas. . 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. Documentary: You've mentioned that you had long been interested in Afghanistan and had heard about the talent show from a journalist. 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. Lima Sahar. What is this country that youngsters cannot make their voices heard, she despairs. He was also the president of a company that had a legal fight with the government. The film focuses on four of the top contestants, Rafi Naabzada, Hameed Sakhizada, Setara Hussainzada, and Lema Sahar. 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. 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. But as much as I like to think of myself as a rationalist, I think that logic is just as important as any other tool in our arsenal. 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). But its just a little too flat-footed as filmmaking to suck you completely in. I realized early on that this was a huge liberation; we went with the action as and when it happened. As a woman, she is taking a risk even entering the show. Afghan Star. //