Women like Setara Hussainzada and Zulala Hashemi are paving the path for new beginnings in Afghanistan. They'll see how much can really ride on a song. But when you have a deadline and a budget, you make decisions and live with them. . United Kingdom's official submission to 82nd Academy Award's Foreign Language in 2010. He wasn't Taliban; in fact, he was part of the government, so you never knew what was about to happen. I also heard she was engaged, which is wonderful news. 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. The final was watched by 11 million people, a third of the Afghan population, all voting for their favourite singer by mobile phone; for many, it was their first taste of democracy. When her head scarf slips off, she does not replace it. I can only hope to follow that path. 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. The Taliban fled Kabul in November 2001, when America and her allies invaded. // ]]]]>. A Trending Reel Challenge That Can Win Us a Brand-New Swift? . Women could sing in public without being whipped. Setara, a single woman who lives alone (something that is almost unheard of), has much to fear. Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. 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 offers a fascinating look into our culture as applied to another culture. It's not a lot, but along with their support and contacts it made all the difference. Singing is in my tradition." Afghan singer who appeared on the third season of "Afghan Star. Here, the film's tone completely changes, and as she realizes the implications of her actions the reality of modern-day Afghanistan is revealed to the film's audience. Silencing the Song offers a portrait of a natural star denied a stage, a cheery diva ground down by her cultures insistence that theres no place for her. 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. We all have power, but not all of us use it wisely. SEE RANK. Regia: Havana Marking. Connect your Spotify account to your Last.fm account and scrobble everything you listen to, from any Spotify app on any device or platform. Cassette and video players were brought out of hiding and buffed up, while tapes and DVDs were hurriedly bussed in from the exiled Afghan community in Pakistan. Editor's Note: Afghan Star premieres Thursday, March 18, on HBO. It brings an energy and spontaneity to the film.". It's also available to stream, download and buy on demand at Apple TV. "She deserves to be killed." Fearing for her life, Setara goes into hiding. The fact that two made the final 10 suggests a little positive discrimination was employed (judges whittle the numbers down to 10; text-messaging then decides the winner). Despite its obvious artifice and uncertain future, the show has lodged itself deep in the cultural fabric by awakening something in the audience. She has started her life as a mother, still hoping to be a pop-music idol someday. Now I have a set alarm clock (more accurately, it keeps me up late) and dont have a problem getting up because I know exactly when it is. 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. Afghan Star is a 2009 documentary film following four contestants in the Afghan music competition, Afghan Star. His family thought he was dead because they didnt see him for two days, but his evil plan backfired when he woke up to see his wife, son, and daughter lying dead on the floor. The contestants are kept safe inside the show compound for the duration of the show. STARmeter. Death threats, bomb scares, battling extremists in a conservative society like Afghanistan is a daily affair. Take your "American Idol"-besotted children to see this movie. Host Sediqi has been granted political asylum in America. Hameed is a classically-trained musician from the Hazara ethnic communty, which is a Persian Shi'ite group from central Afghanistan that has frequently suffered at the hands of its more populous neighboring communities. When the Taliban took Kabul in 1996, they restored order but put a total ban on music and TV. Every so often, the neighbors call the police; at one point, 40 armed soldiers turn up at her door. "Mumtaz, our driver, had been in prison for a week under the Taliban because he was found with a music cassette. This aspect of the film is fascinating and what makes it important. Conservative clerics hated her. Sediqi - who rebelled against Taliban rule by secretly repairing people's video recorders - wasn't exaggerating Afghan Star's huge influence. Im so happy! We Say, Yes! Floral Dresses To Chic Bags - Heres How I Refreshed My Summer Closet From Flipkart On A Budget! Ghazals Afghans Mahwash 135 listeners Ghulam Hussain & Haider Gul Ghulam Hussain 1 listener Amank Dionti Ablaye Cissoko 5,134 listeners Show more Shoutbox About This Artist Setara Hussainzada 379 listeners Setara Hussainzada is an Afghan singer who appeared on the third season of "Afghan Star," a popular TV talent show in Afghanistan. Afghan Star was directed by Havana Marking and is distributed by Zeitgeist Films. Details of other showings: afghanstardocumentary.com. SILENCING THE SONG: An Afghan Fallen Star, Time: tonight, 8-8:35 ; additional airings Jan. 28, Feb. 5, Feb. 22. This documentary on the effect the talent competition "Afghan Star" has on the incredibly diverse inhabitants of Afghanistan affords a glimpse into a country rarely seen. But its just a little too flat-footed as filmmaking to suck you completely in. The film will be screened on More4 on 7 April. For the final telecast, 11 million viewers - a third of the country - tuned in, and the film understands that while voting for a singer by cellphone may be one of the sillier forms of democracy, its still an immensely powerful one for people whove long lacked a voice. When the Soviets withdrew in 1989, after years of brutal resistance from the Mujahideen, civil war broke out between opposing factions. . The other female contestant Lema Sahar, a Pashtun, is eliminated in the last round leaving Naabzada and Sakhizada. "I want to be famous so I can sing for my people," says Rafi Nabzaada, a 19-year-old Tajik. Ty Burr can be reached at tburr@globe.com. To the home audience, its the equivalent of Sinead OConnor ripping up a picture of the Pope. A lady should not be liberal like Setara, said a man in the documentary. What was your vision? The program is seen not so much as a talent show, but as a pop-culture phenomenon that has the ability to move Afghanistan a little closer to a sense of national unity. In fact, the smartest people on earth are usually the ones who are the most logical. A study in contradictions, the Afghan Star phenomenon is both an expression and a catalyst of the dramatic conflicts that are shaping modern Afghanistan. In March, shortly after leaving her job as a host on the MTV-style music program, she told radio interviewers that there were rumors someone. Our aim is to take peoples minds from weapons to music, says the shows host, Daoud Sediqi, a Ryan Seacrest with actual gravitas. D: How did the sense of unpredictability (and danger) in the field affect your work as a director, and the development of the film? National unity is another common topic - and there is no Simon Cowell-style humiliation.