2023 International Documentary Association. It was her last performance on the show. The following are edited excerpts from that conversation. 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. The movie, which won directing and audience awards at this years Sundance, follows the shows third season, launched in October 2007, and focuses on four contestants from the more than 2,000 who auditioned. 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. 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. Daoud Sediqi, who presented the first three series, once said that the show's aim was "to take people's hands from weapons to music". When the Taliban were taken out of power in 2001, it was no longer a punishable crime in Afghanistan to watch TV, dance, or listen to popular music. He was dead, but he got up before the whole family. He was a good friend of the president of the company that had the lawsuit with the government. Women who are part of the entertainment culture are looked down upon. What's remarkable about Marking's film is not just the stories of these four contestants but the way it captures everyday life in Afghanistan - its street kids, the show's fans, people talking at street stalls. The familys were all sleeping, so he wasnt able to kill them. 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. Sediqi travelled to Sundance to promote the documentary, and never came back. Others go much further. 0 current holds with 1 total copy. A study in contradictions, the Afghan Star phenomenon is both an expression and a catalyst of the dramatic conflicts that are shaping modern Afghanistan. HM: There are a number of irons in the fire; hopefully, one will come off! Her act of defiance changes the tone and direction of the film, as the controversy intensifies and new ones arise. TV Shows. See production, box office & company info, [after Setara adds dance moves to her song], Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star. Afghan Star. The Taliban outlawed music for five years. In fact, the smartest people on earth are usually the ones who are the most logical. Coiffed, painted and bedecked in festive but traditional dress, Setara is nervous but defiant in a televised performance. I am 100 percent happy with the film, so, no, I wouldn't do anything differently. Subscribe to Indiatimes and get handpicked updates based on your interests! Afghan Star. I think I know why, but lets look at what works about the film first. National unity is another common topic - and there is no Simon Cowell-style humiliation. Ms. In early July, on the heels of the film's New York premiere, director Havana Marking discussed her experience with Documentary via e-mail. "But an artist has to follow the people," he says. 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. Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star. It's a tough industry, and in the UK it can feel quite cutthroat. It is the show that's rocking Afghanistan. RECOMMENDED Make a list of what you're willing to die for. Setara Hussainzada is an Afghan singer who appeared on the third season of "Afghan Star," a popular TV talent show in Afghanistan. could not find your e-mail or password. 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. Starring: Setara Hussainzada, Lima Sahar, Hameed Sakhizada, Rafi Naabzada, Daoud Sediqi. Video Collection: Youtube Title: Episode 37 - Special Concert. Sorry, we "So we'd just follow the action, turn up, drink tea, wait for the moment to shoot and leave. To follow him, go to www.twitter.com/tyburr. Marking lacks the sense of urgency to pull it all together. Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company. It is one of the most disturbing scenes in the film: we see her headscarf slip as she moves - modestly - to the music. The third episode of Afghan Star Season 15 featured the Ghazal auditions. 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. When I am performing, I am singing for the people, the feeling of freedom comes to my soul. 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) It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.2 and a MetaScore of 78. Rating: . One of the female singers loses her scarf while singing, and as a result receives threats from those who wish to kill her. Ty Burr can be reached at tburr@globe.com. He is Hazara, from the centre of the country, where the Bamiyan Buddhas were blown up by the Taliban, and has an interest in traditional music. 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. She is denounced by public officials; death threats prevent her from returning to her hometown. The fallout from her performance is brutal, raging from shocked disavowals to overt death threats. The most dangerous moment. Setaras parents' house in Herat was daubed with words like whore on the door. Afghan Star is a reality television show competition that searches for the most talented singers across Afghanistan. The men have it much easier. "She deserves to be killed." Fearing for her life, Setara goes into hiding. The message in his songs is national inclusiveness and unity. Fearing for her life, Setara goes into hiding. HM: Setara became the main character when she danced on stage. The performers in Afghan Star, both men and women, hardly move on stage. For more on movies, go to www.boston.com/movienation. Though Taliban was swept from power in 2001, Islamic militants still regard music as sinful and have targeted Afghan musicians in assassination plots. Add artwork, Do you know any background info about this album? 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. 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. The other female contestant Lema Sahar, a Pashtun, is eliminated in the last round leaving Naabzada and Sakhizada. It seems that the government wanted him dead because he was a journalist with a great deal of influence over the countrys political landscape. Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. With wonderful touches like watching a little Afghan girl at home making her Caucasian Barbie doll sing Afghan pop music and wear a burka, Afghan Star is an intimate peek into the lives of people who haven't been allowed to sing or watch TV under Taliban rule for approximately 20 years, as they risk their lives to create their own version of American Idol. 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. There were just three women among the 2,000 people who auditioned for Afghan Star. Ghazal Music Audition - Afghan Star Season 15, Mahali Music Audition - Afghan Star Season 15, Pop Music Audition - Afghan Star Season 15. Episode 03 - Herat Audition. 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 . STARmeter. Episode 04 - Kandahar & Nangarhar Auditions. D: How did the sense of unpredictability (and danger) in the field affect your work as a director, and the development of the film? The security situation meant that, for fear of kidnap, Marking couldn't set anything up in advance. Habib Amiri Setara Hussainzada Rafi Naabzada Hameed Sakhizada Lema Sahar: Cinematography: Phil Stebbing: Edited by: Ash Jenkins: Music by . . Young women admired her. Released June 26th, 2009, 'Afghan Star' stars Habib Amiri, Setara Hussainzada, Rafi Naabzada, Lima Sahar The NR movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 27 min, and received a user score of 66. Her life in danger, the young singer is forced into hiding, with the rest of the country still reeling from her performance. D: Do you keep in touch with any of the subjects, or have any recent news? 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. Hameed is a classically-trained musician from the Hazara ethnic communty, which is a Persian Shi'ite group from central Afghanistan that has frequently suffered at the hands of its more populous neighboring communities. During this time, music was considered disrespectful and sacrilegious but the Mujahideen and the Taliban, respectively. I can only hope to follow that path. 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. A lady should not be liberal like Setara, said a man in the documentary. (Setara Hussainzada) Get this album or track at: 0:26: 5. Young artists dressed in stylised local and westernised attires sing songs onstage, are accompanied by an orchestra of Afghan and western instruments. 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. Afghan singer who appeared on the third season of "Afghan Star. 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. Story of Hameed Sakhizada, appearing in the third season of the Afghan reality show Afghan Star. Here are some of the ways that logic really matters in our work. 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. Released by Silva Screen in 2009 (1292) containing music from Afghan Star (2009). Setara doesnt really want to be the Courtney Love of Afghanistan. Launched in 2005, Afghan Star quickly became the most popular show in the country satiating the nation's thirst for home grown entertainment and filling a void left in the local music scene after decades of war. A look at how contestants on the a musical contest program "Pop Idol" in Afghanistan risk their lives to appear on the show. initFadeSlider(); We wanted a woman singer, but the interior ministry advised us it would be too dangerous. 1 hour, 27 minutes. It's not a lot, but along with their support and contacts it made all the difference. View version history. Setara Hussainzada was eliminated first, and while on air she danced without a hijab, receiving death threats as a result. Unrated. She hires a bodyguard and starts packing a piece but still is too scared to go shopping in an open marketplace. Suicide Bomb Hits Afghan Capital Days Before Security Talks. Safety in Kabul really degenerated last year and hope was thin on the ground. 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. As the nation attempts to find peace after decades of conflict, 'Afghan Star' follows the screening of a 'Pop Idol' style television program, apparently gripping the nation. At the same time, Hussainzada remains an underground celebrity of real power. 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. 1 of 1 copy available at Berklee College of Music. The show's director and host Daoud Sediqi explains that it provides an opportunity for Afghans to enjoy music again after the Taliban's ban. 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 dances during a performance), were given a much more potentially dangerous drama, since this results in death threats. Reviewed by Ken . What Will is atm card is necessary for google pay Be Like in 100 Years? On this audition, the Ghazal fans from all over the country participated to show their talents in order to satisfy the judges for getting a success card which advances them to the next steps of auditions and finally to the top 12. Afghan Star was directed by Havana Marking and is distributed by Zeitgeist Films. 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. When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 1996, among their many edicts was banning popular music, considering it a corrupting and sacrilegious influence. 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. D: While the film is observational and maintains its distance, there is an obvious empathy that comes through in the portrayal of Setara. Afghan Star inspires, entertains and gives hope to a thriving young nation healing . So his family were asleep for a few hours and when they woke up they saw him lying in the hallway. 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. After Daoud Sediqi decides to air the footage, there is outrage in the conservative Muslim community and Setara receives death threats and is evicted from her apartment. HM: There were no personal threats, but a general protocol had to be followed. As a woman, she is taking a risk even entering the show. Setara Hussainzada, Rafi Naabzada, Lima Sahar. Not rated. HM: Daoud Sadiqi, Afghan Star's presenter, who recently sought asylum in the US, has just been granted asylum, which is great news for him and I am very happy. 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. Zulala Hashemi, a 16-year-old girl, raised by her widowed mother is all set to break the stereotypes in Afghanistan, city so hidebound that women on streets is a rare sight, and when they do, they are clad in burkhas. I doubt she realizes what an impact she has had on the British documentary community. Unfortunately for Sadiqi, the continuing drama that makes the story so rich has very real consequences for its characters, and he reportedly left Afghanistan to seek asylum in the US as the film screened at Sundance. Edit this wiki. She explains that she is open-minded and that she wants other Afghans to be as well. Maybe theyll come away with a knowledge of how much can really ride on a song. We just had to turn up and drink lots of tea and hope the person would agree to filming. During her farewell performance she dances with free body movements without her hijab, as opposed to the more constrained dancing considered socially appropriate. I don't mean the film is perfect, but we do have a brilliant balance between heart-filled content and craft, considering the time and place that we were. The alarm clock is a hardware device that keeps an idiot at home awake. She said she acted per her emotions. In these scenes, filmmaker Havana Marking shows a country struggling to redefine itself after decades of repression. 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. [CDATA[// >