Havana Marking’s Afghan Star

Screening : Sat June 20: 9 and Sun June 21: 4:30

Intro/Q&A with filmmaker, Jahid Mohseni (co-creator of Afghan Idol), Rachel Reid (HRW Asia Researcher) and director Havana Marking

While many of us either love or hate American Idol, we probably all take for granted that a show like that is able to exist and thrive where we live.  Havana Marking’s Afghan Star challenges us to think about what it might be like to live somewhere where that is not the case, Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan singing used to be illegal and just recently singing became allowed and even more recently they’ve been able to get a show in the style of American Idol up and running.  That show is called Afghan Star and whereas here we may laugh and not take American Idol seriously, in Afghanistan Afghan Star provides inspiration and hope to the people.

The film follows five contestants on the show, the show’s creators and the show’s fans as they all live through a season and competition. It becomes clear from the beginning that the show really is a huge deal for the country.  The opportunity to see see and hear pop-esque music being performed on the television gives people joy and a sense of freedom that they were unable to get before. 

As would be expected though, the government is not a huge fan of the show. But the colorful cast of seemingly open-minded people associated with the show refuse to let that stop them. I say “seemingly” open-minded because there is an area in which almost everyone in the film refuses to look forward.

Of all the contestants that Afghan Star follows (and the larger bunch) only two are women and in both cases it is somewhat controversial for a woman to even be on the stage.  The woman that immediately stands out is 21 year old Setara.  A woman of principle, Setara refuses to do what she is supposed to do, wearing modern fashions and even dancing on stage.   She is feisty and wants nothing more than to be treated as an equal to her male counterparts.

The men, who at first appear to be quite liberal and open-minded, disapprove of Setara’s (quite innocent by our standards) dance moves on stage and express their wish that she should stop.  When she lets her veil fall in a performance while dancing she is labeled a whore and has death threats made against her.   It becomes clear very quickly that while the performance program is indeed opening people’s minds in many ways, there is one area of their culture that the men and society in general are unwilling to change their opinion on.

But even with that, Afghan Star manages to successfully get across how inspirational the talent show is and how it is giving the people of Afghanistan hope.  And even though the film itself isn’t a marvel of cinema, it is an easy and affective way for Westerners to connect with a country that is often portrayed as dangerous and evil.   Because as it turns out, despite our many differences, all everyone really wants is to sit with their family and friends and watch people sing.  And while it may not be much, it’s a starting point that can’t be overlooked.

*Afghan Star opens theatrically on June 26