Afgan Star January 31, 2010

This series is free and open to the public. All films are shown in Jepson Hall 118 unless otherwise noted. Friday showings are at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday showings are at 7:30 p.m. The films are shown in the original language with English subtitles. For more information, please contact Paul Portefield.

January 29 & 31
Afganistan, 2008
Directed by Havana Marking
87 minutes (No MPAA rating)

In a nation where pop music was banned and, more importantly, democracy was nonexistent, the Afghanistan television show Afghan Star, modeled after American Idol, has taken the country by storm and is a bona fide phenomenon. In the documentary feature film Afghan Star, British filmmaker Havana Marking delves into the competition, contestants, and viewers and their effects on Afghan society. Open to everyone across the country regardless of gender, ethnicity or race, two thousand people auditioned for the show, including three women, with the hopes of winning the cash prize and record deal. Four young finalists are featured throughout the documentary whose future on the show is in the hands of the millions of viewers who vote via cell phone each week to either advance or eliminate contestants. Marking’s exploration into the voting process reminds audiences that for many, this is their first encounter with the democratic process. These top contestants, teen-pop sensation Rafi, Hammeed who is seen as a role model on the show, Lima who is acting against the Islamic fundamentalist community she was raised in, and Setara who goes against all conventions by wearing American-style clothing and makeup and dancing on stage, each face different struggles in which Marking discovers during moving interviews regarding off camera survival strategies. Afghan Star examines the country’s battle for modernity through the Afghan people’s relationship to pop music. What Americans deem lighthearted entertainment television is positively revolutionary in this troubled nation. Afghan Star was an official selection at the 2008 Sheffield International Documentary Festival and winner of both the Audience and Directing World Cinema Documentary Awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Official Website: http://library.richmond.edu/mrc/international-film-series.html