View wiki Running time: 87 minutes. Add artwork, Do you know any background info about this album? Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker. . The Taliban fled Kabul in November 2001, when America and her allies invaded. In this follow-up to 'Afghan Star,' filmmaker Havana Marking returns to Afghanistan to check in on infamous contestant Setara from the popular Afghan talent show of the same name. I went to Afghanistan in January 2002, just a few months after the Taliban fled Kabul, to make a documentary for the BBC about the return of music to the capital. 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). Backstage, horrified, her fellow contestants' voices are thin when they ask, "Why is she dancing?" Think hard. But its just a little too flat-footed as filmmaking to suck you completely in. Afghan Star, a 2009 documentary film followed the lives of four contestants on the show - Hameed Sakhizada, Setara Hussainzada, Rafi Naabzada, and Lema Sahar who appeared on the third season of the show. Rating: Unrated. Starring: Setara Hussainzada, Lima Sahar, Hameed Sakhizada, Rafi Naabzada, Daoud Sediqi, In English, Dari, and Pashtun, with subtitles. Is Netflix, Amazon, Fandor, iTunes, etc. Sediqi - who rebelled against Taliban rule by secretly repairing people's video recorders - wasn't exaggerating Afghan Star's huge influence. 2023 International Documentary Association. Man in the street: [after Setara adds dance moves to her song] She should be killed. Day-to-day, it affected us because we couldn't really plan anything in advance due to kidnap threat. I also heard she was engaged, which is wonderful news. But in Marking's documentary, you can hear a gasp of horror when Setara starts to dance. She is denounced by public officials; death threats prevent her from returning to her hometown. This aspect of the film is fascinating and what makes it important. But when you have a deadline and a budget, you make decisions and live with them. Episode 03 - Herat Audition. This would be humorous if it werent so murderously meant and if a democratic Afghanistan werent still an idea very much in play. Setaras parents' house in Herat was daubed with words like whore on the door. Two women made it to the final four contestants that year. After thirty years of Taliban rule, with music, television and most merriment outlawed, one of the runaway successes in that broken land has been these competitions. I have no fear. Afghan Star segue la terza stagione del popolare show televisivo afghano. Afghan Star was directed by Havana Marking and is distributed by Zeitgeist Films. Finally, there was Setara Hussainzada, 22, from Herat in the west of Afghanistan. Death threats, bomb scares, battling extremists in a conservative society like Afghanistan is a daily affair. But for those who are not in that position, it can be very difficult to know how to act, who to trust, and what to believe. Story of Hameed Sakhizada, appearing in the third season of the Afghan reality show Afghan Star. I was determined that wouldn't happen; I knew that I was the best person to direct this film. 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. The show is hardly racy by Western standards; indeed, with men in dodgy suits and understandably limited production values, the program feels as if it could have been made in the 1970s, before the wars started. Afghan Star inspires, entertains and gives hope to a thriving young nation healing . Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star, a 35-minute documentary debuting tonight on HBO, examines the fallout of female showbiz celebrity in a culture that isnt ready for it. And since one of the two female contestantsSetara Hussainzadais a rule breaker who goes beyond the dictates of Islamic religion (she shows her hair and . 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. There were just three women among the 2,000 people who auditioned for Afghan Star. 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. 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. 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 am confident now that I can and do have a way of directing that works. You could only film in safe areas; we didn't go to Kandahar, for example, where one of my characters was from, because it was dangerous for us, but even more importantly, it was dangerous for her to be seen with Westerners there. Singing is in my tradition." It's not a lot, but along with their support and contacts it made all the difference. Afghan Star Year: 2009: Director: Havana Marking: Stars: Daoud Sediqi, Rafi Naabzada, Setara Hussainzada, Hameed Sakhizada, Lima Sahar, various: Genre: Documentary, Music: Rating: 8 (from 2 votes) Review: Afghanistan has had more than its share of troubles over the years, but perhaps there could be a way of uniting a country which has been split apart by conflicts from the Mujahadeen and the . Her story, my concern and in turn the audience's concern are what make the film so gripping; the film becomes a political thriller rather than just a quirky look at modern life in today's Afghanistan. It's also available to stream, download and buy on demand at Apple TV. This documentary about the Afghani version of American Idol is good and worth a look, but I was never swept up by it emotionally. As the competition nears its climax, she claims even the Taliban are voting for her - because she is Pashtun. Afghan Star is a 2008 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 27 minutes. He was a great music fan, and my guide to Afghan music," she says. HM: There are a million different things we could have done, and a million different things that could have happened as and when we were there. Instead, its just sort of there. Editor's Note: Afghan Star premieres Thursday, March 18, on HBO. Setara Hussainzada, Rafi Naabzada, Lima Sahar. Floral Dresses To Chic Bags - Heres How I Refreshed My Summer Closet From Flipkart On A Budget! I have had a similar situation before, when I had an idea commissioned and then they insisted someone else direct. Except all she really wants to do is sing in public to let it rip, put on a show, be a star if only that wouldnt get her killed. Did it lead you to other ideas or passions? Sahar, the more demure of the two, kept well within expectations of how Afghani women should perform in public. Episode 02 - Mazar Auditions. The film, funded by More4 and the BritDoc Foundation, receives its British premiere in London this Friday. And all the ethnic groups were represented." Share your . 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. The progress of last year's tumultuous series was followed by a British film crew. "Music is banned by religion," she says. Safety in Kabul really degenerated last year and hope was thin on the ground. When Silencing the Song picks up a year later, Hussainzada has married one of her fans and is eight months pregnant, but her life is in disarray. Havana Marking: I knew the idea was brilliant and would be commissioned, but it was my first big film (I had only directed a 30 min. The second part, titled "Silencing the Fallen Afghan Star," follows the story of one of the two final female contestants, Setara, who becomes notorious for her "dance moves" and "liberal . Beige Luciano-Adams is a journalist based in Los Angeles, where she covers politics, business, arts and culture for a variety of publications. She was passionate and brave woman (though also a little naive) who lived for music. Perhaps I should cover my face.. Heres How To Choose, Where To Buy & More. These comic reversals move at the speed of tectonic plates. HM: Afghanistan is very volatile and problems can flare up in odd areas at any time. 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 . Setara now lives in Kabul with her husband, Yama. The program broadcasts on the TOLO channel. Afghan singer who appeared on the third season of "Afghan Star. In this episode only, those with high music talent succeeded to the next auditions (Top 160). For the two young male contestants, both varying measures of earnestness, bravado and brittle celebrity aura, the journey to fame has a dark side. To find out more about the third episode please click on the link below and watch the full video. Ty Burr can be reached at tburr@globe.com. Maybe theyll come away with a knowledge of how much can really ride on a song. 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. When I am performing, I am singing for the people, the feeling of freedom comes to my soul. All user-contributed . Afghan Star soundtrack from 2009, composed by Various Artists. Video Collection: Youtube Title: Episode 37 - Special Concert. She just wants to express herself with a youthful passion for which her countrymen (and women) arent ready. 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." Its a frustratingly sketchy portrait; in the half-hour allotted her, Marking doesnt give us the wider cultural setting of a country struggling toward freedom of expression, and she may wrongly assume that a US viewer has seen Afghan Star. (The original documentary airs before the new film tonight and is highly recommended.). I think I know why, but lets look at what works about the film first. Setara is instantly labelled a loose woman and is publicly condemned for this "insult and degradation" by the ex-governor of her home city of Herat, one of whose young citizens claims sincerely that she deserves to be killed. 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. The performers in Afghan Star, both men and women, hardly move on stage. [CDATA[> 9 Upcoming Movies Of Shah Rukh Khan We Just Cannot Wait For, Anime, Classic Games, And Porn: 6 Weird Things The CIA Found On Osama bin Laden's Hard Drive, Aakash Institute Allegedly Organising A 'Valentine's Day Party' As Per Viral Notice, Management Unaware, Dubai At Night: 6 Spots To Unwind & Chill, Reliance General Insurance's New Campaign For Reliance Health Infinity Policy Is A Quirky Reminder To Seek 'Zyaada Se Bohot Zyaada' & Here's Why We Need It, Is Introducing A Sex Toy To Your Love Life A Good Idea? Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Your comment is 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) streaming Afghan Star? Women, men, children, elders, Pashtuns and Hazaras: Everyone with a cell phone is allowed their say in determining the outcome of a contest that, in its own limited scope, appears to soften the lines of difference and collapse traditional hierarchies. . Fastest Charging On Any Nord Phone Ever & Other Reasons Why OnePlus Nord 2T Is Worth Every Penny! SILENCING THE SONG: An Afghan Fallen Star, Time: tonight, 8-8:35 ; additional airings Jan. 28, Feb. 5, Feb. 22. I am 100 percent happy with the film, so, no, I wouldn't do anything differently. At this point I dont know if Setara Hussainzada was a good man or not. Setara Hussainzada is an Afghan singer who appeared on the third season of "Afghan Star," a popular TV talent show in Afghanistan. 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. The alarm clock is a hardware device that keeps an idiot at home awake. 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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. When the Taliban took Kabul in 1996, they restored order but put a total ban on music and TV. 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 this episode only, those with high music talent succeeded to the next auditions (Top 160). The road to liberalism and equality seems like an idea beyond reach but it is not unattainable. Id like to be more enthusiastic about Havana Markings Afghan Star than I am, but the fact is that its simply not as compelling as it ought to be. Host Sediqi has been granted political asylum in America. Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star, a documentary by Havana Marking released in January 2011 revisiting Setara as she deals with continuous death threats. General o Since the late 1970s, Afghan people have suffered foreign invasions, civil wars, and Taliban rule. The following are edited excerpts from that conversation. Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company. Marking lacks the sense of urgency to pull it all together. To see a woman make such wonderful, beautiful and heart-filled films, be successful and still be a nice person is very inspiring. All four contestantsRaafi Naabzada, Hameed Sajhizada, Setara Hussainzada, Lima Saharare likable, even if their talent might seem fairly limited to anyone without a taste for the kind of songs they perform. Finally, there is Setara Hussainzada, 22, from Herat, a conservative city in the west. 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. Even the audience members must go through multiple security checks. The familys were all sleeping, so he wasnt able to kill them. I realized early on that this was a huge liberation; we went with the action as and when it happened. Two are women, which in itself is remarkable: Setara Hussainzada from Herat and Lima Sahar from Kandahar. In the final 10, selected by the judges, there were two women. 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. Even her husband fears for his life to the extent of keeping the marriage secret from his family and refusing to appear on camera without his face blurred. Setara Hussainzada was a journalist. They each wield massive followings who back their respective boys with the fervor of British football fans or our own Red Sox Nation. Required fields are marked *. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. By all means, take your American Idol-besotted children to see this movie. But the prize is considerable: as well as fame, the winner receives 5,000, which is 10 times the average salary. Episode 01 - Kabul Auditions. As broadcast networks blossomed, Tolo TV built Afghan Star explicitly on the American Idol model. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion. View version history. Seguido por unos 11 millones de personas en todo el pas, Rafi Nabzada, Lima Sahar, Setara Hussainzada y Hamid Shakhizada compiten por conseguir su sueo, convertirse en el cantante ms famoso de Afganistn. She explains that she is open-minded and that she wants other Afghans to be as well. 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. A study in contradictions, the Afghan Star phenomenon is both an expression and a catalyst of the dramatic conflicts that are shaping modern Afghanistan. As it turns out, the set alarm clock has helped setara hussainzada kill himself in his sleep without waking the whole house. Suicide Bomb Hits Afghan Capital Days Before Security Talks. When my friend and I walked into the house at around 1:30am the night before, we all woke up to find setara hussainzadas body slumped against the wall. Director: Havana Marking. 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). Sadriddin - Setara Official Mast Music Video Afghan Tajik Music 2014. Young artists dressed in stylised local and westernised attires sing songs onstage, are accompanied by an orchestra of Afghan and western instruments. In early July, on the heels of the film's New York premiere, director Havana Marking discussed her experience with Documentary via e-mail. All Rights Reserved. The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Editor's Note: Afghan Star premieres Thursday, March 18, on HBO. 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. I came back knowing it would work logistically, and with a taster tape of engaging characters. Your comment is The shows judges drive around in armoured vehicles. After Daoud Sediqi decided to air the footage of the show, there was an outrage in the conservative muslim community. 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). "I am open-minded. Setara Hussainzada. Im so happy! "They tried it," Marking says, "but the audience hated it.". On the TV show she danced and removed her hijab while singing. Afghan Star is a reality television show competition that searches for the most talented singers across Afghanistan. Ms. Afghan Star premieres at . Movies. Hussainzada, not so much. initFadeSlider(); . Starring: Setara Hussainzada, Lima Sahar, Hameed Sakhizada, Rafi Naabzada, Daoud Sediqi. 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. (One interviewee simply states that she should be killed.). See production, box office & company info, [after Setara adds dance moves to her song], Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star. "I believe there is no difference between a woman and a man," she declares. Would you like to receive event invitations, funding news, and other updates from the International Documentary Association? The documentary follows these two women and two men. 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. What is this country that youngsters cannot make their voices heard, she despairs. What was your vision? Setara hussainzada ended up being a bad man. She was frowned upon for the scarf moment which caught everyone's attention. 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. D: Are there any other filmmakers in particular from whom you draw inspiration? 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. Afghan Star. Production: Zeitgeist Films. Afghan Star the show and the documentary moved on, but the director stuck around to witness the fallout on its most controversial performer. D: Do you keep in touch with any of the subjects, or have any recent news? Music has been caught in the crossfire in Afghanistan for the last 30 years. I chose to go first to the Channel 4 BritDoc Foundation, which gives development funding for feature docs and nurture new talent. The film focuses on four of the top contestants, Rafi Naabzada, Hameed Sakhizada, Setara Hussainzada, and Lema Sahar. This time we got our female singer; we even went one step further, with a man and woman duetting. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. In a chilling scene, a young man looks solemnly at the camera as he declares Setara should be killed for her transgressions. 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. While one-third of Afghanistan watches, Rafi Naabzada wins the final round, becoming the Afghan Star. film before: The Crippendales) and so I was the hurdle. By what name was Afghan Star (2009) officially released in Canada in English? // ]]]]>