The Continuing Struggle of Afghan Women: A Three Part Film Series

Part 2: Afghanistan Unveiled - Directed by: Brigitte Brault & The Aina Women's Filming Group; Search for Freedom - Directed by: Munizae Jahangir; RISE - Filmed by RAWA

WHEN: July 30 6:30-9:00pm

WHERE: Carecen – 2845 W. 7th Street, LA (between Hoover & Vermont)

$5 donation requested: Proceeds from the Film Series will be going to save one of RAWA’s schools -Hewad High School in Rawalpindi, Pakistan from closure.

For more information please call (323) 687-1193



Synopsis: Afghanistan Unveiled - 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 repressive rule and recent U.S. military campaign on Afghani women. None of the fourteen journalist trainees had ever traveled outside Kabul. Except for one, none had been able to study or pursue careers while the Taliban controlled their country. Leaving Kabul behind for the more rural regions of the country, the filmmakers present heartbreaking footage of Hazara women whose lives have been decimated by recent events. With little food and no water or electricity, these women have been left to live in caves and fend for themselves, abandoned in the wake of the U.S. campaign. While committed to revealing such tragedies to the world, the filmmakers also manage to find moving examples of hope for the future. A poetic journey of self-discovery, Afghanistan Unveiled is a revelatory and profound reminder of the independent media’s power to bear witness and reveal truth.

Synopsis: Search for Freedom traces the dramatic social and political history of Afghanistan from the 1920s to the present through the stories of four remarkable women: 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. Through their personal stories, a surprising portrait of Afghanistan’s history emerges. Stunning archival footage from the early 20th century captures a time of remarkable progress and freedom for women that belies most Western perceptions. Other historical footage and Jahnagir’s incisive commentary reveal women’s realities and resilience under near constant occupation, first with the Soviet invasion, then under the Mujahadeen and more recently under the repressive Taliban. Defying and clarifying the image of Afghan women as mere victims, Search for Freedom offers a nuanced portrait of women who find choices where none are offered, who continue to find hope in the face of exile and isolation.

Synopsis: Rise: Revolutionary Women Re-envisioning Afghanistan (2002)

Shot by members of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, using both a regular and WITNESS hidden camera, Rise documents the lives of Afghans following the recent American-led military campaign. RAWA members interview refugees, victims of factional fighting and Taliban abuse as well as residents who witnessed the recent bombings of civilian homes. RAWA spokeswomen call for gender equality, democracy, freedom, and an end to foreign military intervention.

This event is organized by supporters of RAWA. RAWA is the oldest political / social organization of Afghan women struggling for peace, freedom, democracy & women’s rights in fundamentalism blighted Afghanistan.