Afghan Star follows the story of Hameed Sakhizada, Setara Hussainzada, Rafi Naabzada, and Lema Sahar, four Afghan Star premieres at the Ritzy, London SW2 (0871 704 2065), on Friday. She is denounced by public officials; death threats prevent her from returning to her hometown. It seems that the government wanted him dead because he was a journalist with a great deal of influence over the countrys political landscape. Partnering with Afghani producers Saad Mohseni and Jahid Mohseni, Marking follows four young contestants through the third season of a wildly popular talent show (also called Afghan Star) modeled on American Idol, in which audience members vote for candidates via SMS (Short Message Service). At the same time, Hussainzada remains an underground celebrity of real power. [CDATA[ He was a good friend of the president of the company that had the lawsuit with the government. Most of the songs are indistinguishable from commercial central Asian pop, but the lyrics have a poetic quality, particularly the love songs: "Her eyebrows are like a bow shooting an arrow at me." Details of other showings: afghanstardocumentary.com. This Gecko Trapped In Amber Is 54 Million Years Old, Still Looks Alive, Shubman Gill Joins Elite List As He Becomes Latest Member Of ODI 200 Club, Tejasvi Surya, IndiGo Still Silent On If It Was The MP Who Opened The Flight's Emergency Door, Wasim Akram Is A Cricket Legend And Now His Son Is On His Way To Becoming A Professional MMA Fighter, 9 Craziest Wildest Sexual Fantasies Ideas List with Examples (Girls & Boys), Blood For The First Night: Amazon Is Selling Product To Fake Virginity & People Can't Digest It, Apart From Aman Gupta's BoAt, All Shark Tank India Judges Are Apparently Drowning In Losses, Not Jeff Bezos Or Elon Musk, These 11 People Are The Richest People In Human History, The Badshah Of Bollywood Is Back! There were just three women among the 2,000 people who auditioned for Afghan Star. Despite the chaos, the hunger for music - prohibited under Taliban rule - was incredible. // ]]]]> The documentary follows these two women and two men. 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. film before: The Crippendales) and so I was the hurdle. Running time: 1 hour 27 minutes. 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. Afghan Star is a 2008 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 27 minutes. She lives in hiding in Kabul, unable to return to her home province of Herat. The third episode of Afghan Star Season 15 featured the Ghazal auditions. D: Would you have done anything differently given another opportunity? Official Sites, View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. This country was like a house that no one was living in, says Rafi, implying that the lights are coming on again, one by one. Your comment is Setara, a single woman who lives alone (something that is almost unheard of), has much to fear. "She deserves to be killed." Fearing for her life, Setara goes into hiding. 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. While HBO should be commended for showing this film, were not the audience that really needs to see it. Instead, its just sort of there. What we get is troubling enough even before Hussainzadas child is born and further hardships are endured. In America, this would be a dystopian nightmare. Setara hussainzada ended up being a bad man. In Havana Marking's "Afghan Star," "Pop Idol" comes to Kabul. 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. I have had a similar situation before, when I had an idea commissioned and then they insisted someone else direct. NewsyVideos. Music has been caught in the crossfire in Afghanistan for the last 30 years. // . Because of this, it became a crime in the late 1990s todance or listen to music or to watch TV. Find out where to watch movies online now! "They tried it," Marking says, "but the audience hated it.". Here are some of the ways that logic really matters in our work. Zulala, is one of the three remaining contestants on the show which has always seen male winners. The progress of last year's tumultuous series was followed by a British film crew. "She brought shame to the Herati people," says a young man on the streets of her home town. She was condemned by the religious leaders and faced death threats. Except when it comes to Forogh, it seems. NATO routinely cites the incident as proof that Afghans can protect their own. Dont misunderstand. The Taliban had outlawed singing in 1996 however, Afghan Star went on to become one of the most-watched shows in Afghanistan. It was the first big concert for more than a decade and was broadcast live around the world. The film focuses on four of the top contestants, Rafi Naabzada, Hameed Sakhizada, Setara Hussainzada, and Lema Sahar. She has started her life as a mother, still hoping to be a pop-music idol someday. His family thought he was dead because they didn't 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. 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. Now hopes are high that this hit show can unite Afghanistan's diverse ethnic groups and help bring an end to conflict. They each wield massive followings who back their respective boys with the fervor of British football fans or our own Red Sox Nation. Any of it? A Trending Reel Challenge That Can Win Us a Brand-New Swift? Episode 04 - Kandahar & Nangarhar Auditions. 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. Setara Hussainzada is an Afghan singer who appeared on the third season of "Afghan Star," a popular TV talent show in Afghanistan. During the 1970s, Kabul had miniskirts, rock concerts and Ahmad Zahir, the Afghan Elvis - still universally popular in the country today, despite dying in a mysterious car accident in 1979. On the same day, the fourth series will reach its climax - but with one important difference: Omaid Nizami, an air steward, is now presenting it in his spare time. View wiki Breaking It Down: The Documentary Interview, Documentary Working Groups: Behind the Scenes of Field Accountability and Possibility, Intersectionality in the Documentary Film Edit Room, Movements, Campaigns, & Political Power In Front Of & Behind the Camera, Reclaiming the Power of Public Media | Documentary Film for All, The Documentary Funding Ecosystem: Building Values-based Financial Strategies, Why Transitioning to Black Leadership Matters | Equitable Organizational Succession in Media Arts, IDA and DWU Union Negotiation Regular Updates, The Feedback: Arden Teresa Lewis' 'Leveling Lincoln', Rethinking Representation: The IDA AwardsTeam Reflects on their Process, Life's Too Short: Mariam Jobrani's Journey with Cancer in 'Everything Must Change', Team Effort: An International Coalition of Broadcasters Pools Resources to Compete with Streaming Giants. Setara now lives in Kabul with her husband, Yama. You can overdo things and they lose their spirit. Electric Sunroof, Head Up Display & Other Features That Make The All New Hot & Techy Brezza A Hit. Episode 02 - Mazar Auditions. Most of us are familiar with the images of Afghanistan at war, or under the Taliban; but until the rebellion against the Soviet invasion, the country was a relatively modern state, at least in the capital. A look at how contestants on the a musical contest program "Pop Idol" in Afghanistan risk their lives to appear on the show. Beige Luciano-Adams is a journalist based in Los Angeles, where she covers politics, business, arts and culture for a variety of publications. The other female contestant Lema Sahar, a Pashtun, is eliminated in the last round leaving Naabzada and Sakhizada. "This was when the series became really big, and everything fell into place. Afghan Star is a 2009 documentary film following four contestants in the Afghan music competition, Afghan Star. Religious leaders soon step into the debate, putting pressure on the government to ban dancing and offer "only Islamic broadcasting.". In January, Marking's documentary (also called Afghan Star) took two prizes in the Sundance film festival's world cinema category: best documentary director, and the audience award for a documentary. Sediqi - who rebelled against Taliban rule by secretly repairing people's video recorders - wasn't exaggerating Afghan Star's huge influence. As the competition nears its climax, she claims even the Taliban are voting for her - because she is Pashtun. What is this country that youngsters cannot make their voices heard, she despairs. Rating: Unrated. 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. Setara Hussainzada was one of the first people to lose his life while working for a company that was a competitor of his former employer. Setara: An Afghan Fallen Star. Sorry, we D: How long did you spend filming in Afghanistan? The reaction of the man in the street? Women contestants, in particular, have been the object of much anger among religious conservatives. Sadly, most Afghans are not so open-minded. In early July, on the heels of the film's New York premiere, director Havana Marking discussed her experience with Documentary via e-mail. He wasn't Taliban; in fact, he was part of the government, so you never knew what was about to happen. I used to get up every morning at the same time and would simply go to bed the same time. Setara hussainzada ended up being a bad man. 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. Down 102,732 this week. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. IMDB: 7.3 . We just had to turn up and drink lots of tea and hope the person would agree to filming. A study in contradictions, the Afghan Star phenomenon is both an expression and a catalyst of the dramatic conflicts that are shaping modern Afghanistan. One of the female singers loses her scarf while singing, and as a result receives threats from those who wish to kill her. Boston.com article page player in wide format. SEE RANK. Finally, there was Setara Hussainzada, 22, from Herat in the west of Afghanistan. The film looks at where Setara is now and the impact that her controversial performance has had on her life and her country, including ever-present threats to her safety. The most cocksure of the contestants, he is filmed going to the shrine of Hazrat Ali in his home city of Mazar-e-Sharif, where an imam prays for his victory. Afghan Star, reality TV show, searches for most-talented singers across Afghanistan, a war-torn nation. National unity is another common topic - and there is no Simon Cowell-style humiliation. streaming Afghan Star? Your email address will not be published. The specters of repression and fear are palpable, but so too, apparently, is a wave of hope and defiance. Afghan Star soundtrack from 2009, composed by Various Artists. Afghan Star is a 2009 British documentary film following four contestants in the Afghan music competition Afghan Star. During this time, music was considered disrespectful and sacrilegious but the Mujahideen and the Taliban, respectively. 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. She said she acted per her emotions. The film is based, as they say, on a true story, and the real-life Afghan woman who appeared on this television show, Setara Hussainzada, confronted tremendous opposition from religious and. . Ty Burr can be reached at tburr@globe.com. 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. When I returned in 2004 for another concert, a Pashtun singer had just become the first woman, post-Taliban, to sing on Afghan TV. Mostly Islamist in outlook, the Mujahideen placed restrictions on music and outlawed women singers. Contestants risk their lives to appear on the television show that is a raging success with the public and also monitored closely by the government. Marking also films an Islamic council of scholars inveighing against the shows immorality and predicting wholesale social collapse as a result. Setara doesnt really want to be the Courtney Love of Afghanistan. As a woman, she is taking a risk even entering the show. The best I can say is that he was a very talented and ambitious journalist who was a good friend of the president of his former company during the lawsuit. 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. I can only hope to follow that path. When you are singing, you are really full of life, says one before begging her not to stop. As it turns out, the set alarm clock has helped setara hussainzada kill himself in his sleep without waking the whole house. D: Do you keep in touch with any of the subjects, or have any recent news? Hussainzada, not so much. "But an artist has to follow the people," he says. That same year, the Soviets invaded to prop up the communist government. Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company. Three years later, Afghan Star, the country's equivalent of Pop Idol, was launched by Tolo TV, Afghanistan's leading independent television company. 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. Women like Setara Hussainzada and Zulala Hashemi are paving the path for new beginnings in Afghanistan. I also heard she was engaged, which is wonderful news. In the final 10, selected by the judges, there were two women. Feel free to contribute! The film will be screened on More4 on 7 April. The Taliban fled Kabul in November 2001, when America and her allies invaded. 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. Afghan Star is a talent quest which scours for hot new musical talent in the nation of Afghanistan. Yet when the popular enthusiasm for voting for a favourite star seems in part driven by the sense of futility in voting in elections, one fears that the dark days may not yet be over. 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. 1 hour, 27 minutes. "I want to be famous so I can sing for my people," says Rafi Nabzaada, a 19-year-old Tajik. Heres a case where a little technical panache would have gone a long way toward making the question of who will win as exciting to the viewer of the film as it is to the contestants and the TV viewers. By what name was Afghan Star (2009) officially released in Canada in English? Afghan Star (2009) Directed by Havana Marking Genres - Culture & Society , Film, TV & Radio , Music | Sub-Genres - Social History , Social Issues , Politics & Government | Release Date - Jun 26, 2009 (USA - Limited) | Run Time - 87 min. 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. "Music is banned by religion," she says. 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. He was a great music fan, and my guide to Afghan music," she says. Even more explicitly, the producers used the contest to promote a national, inter-ethnic unity. For all intents and purposes, theyre both Kris Allen, yet each of them has an awareness of what they mean to a society struggling to its feet. As we all know, setara hussainzada was a genius at his job, but he was a complete idiot when it came to alarms and time-loops. There would be nothing.". Not the slickest or most crowd-pleasing performance-competition docu, but it's nonetheless absorbing. Quantico, where Marines train before Afghan tours. Share your . In the end, 11 million people (a third of the population) tune in to watch the finale, gathering in homes, fruit shops, coffee houses and military barracks. Documentary: You've mentioned that you had long been interested in Afghanistan and had heard about the talent show from a journalist. Luckily, because we were working with Tolo TV, the local TV station that made Afghan Star, we had access to all information from their news teams. Setara said she is open-minded and wants other Afghans to be as well. Running time: 87 minutes. [CDATA[// >