By Havana Marking
In Afghanistan you risk your life to sing. After thirty years of war and five devastating years of Taliban rule, pop culture is beginning to return to the country. Since 2005, millions have been tuning in to Tolo TV's wildly popular American Idol-style series Afghan Star. Like its Western predecessors, people compete for a cash prize and record deal. More surprisingly, the contest is open to everyone across the country despite gender, ethnicity or age. Two thousand people audition, including three extremely brave women. And when viewers vote for their favorites via cell phone, it is, for many, their first encounter with the democratic process.
Reviews
~ "A fantastic documentary about a talent competition in a country where you would never dream such a thing is possible." - Oprah Winfrey
~ "Wonderful movie!... takes us somewhere few movies have.... The sense of hope and danger is more palpable here than in any other movie I've seen at Sundance, and the film's hard-won good vibes had the audience cheering." - Ty Burr, Boston Globe/Movie Nation
~ "An informed and entertaining dispatch about the collision of culture, ideology and history that ultimately suggests a darker, more rueful Afghani Slumdog Millionaire." - Screen International
Award
~ Winner of the Directing and Audience Awards in Sundance's 2009 World Documentary
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