Monika’s Pensieve

A news report about Malalai Joya, an outspoken critic of the Taliban, the Northern Alliance and the USA’s presence in Afghanistan. As you may imagine, death threats are a common occurrence in her life…

A short report from Al Jazeera about the fate of religious minorities in Afghanistan.

A short report from Al-Jazeera, which talks about how co-operation between the US and Iran would benefit all three parties.

Abdul Salam Rocketi (the man in question) talks about the importance of including the Taleban into Afghan politics. He talks about the mistakes the US has made and how the peace process is not possible without including the Taleban in Afghan politics.

Latawce (Poland, 2007)
Seen: Wednesday, 13th May 2009 (cinema, Planete Doc Review)
Runtime: 80′
Director: Beata Dzianowicz
Production House: TVP, Eureka Media
Plot: The makers of the film organize a documentary film course in a Kabul art school. What kind of films will the students come up with?
Trailer
Haven’t found any sort of clips of this on-line, sorry.
Impressions In Short
The film [...]

Taekwondo has really kicked off in Afghanistan (they got their first Olympic medal in Beijing in 2008). But there’s another sport that is developing rapidly in Afghanistan and it’s cricket. Here’s the story of a British-Afghan match held in Kabul, it’s really sweet :)

{FILM DIARY}
Afghan Star (UK, 2009)
Seen: Friday, 8th May 2009 (cinema, Planete Doc Review)
Runtime: 87′
Director: Havana Marking
Production House: Aria Productions, Roast Beef Productions, Redstart Media
Plot: A look at today’s Afghanistan through the Afghan version of “Pop Idol”.
Trailer

Impressions In Short
Probably the best film I’ve seen in terms of showing what life in today’s Afghanistan is like. It’s [...]

The BBC asked three cartoonists from Afghanistan, Iran and Venezuela to sum up Obama’s presidency so far. Here’s what they came up with.

{FILM DIARY}
Osama (Afghanistan/Netherlands/Japan/Ireland/Iran, 2003)
Seen: Saturday, 11th April 2009 (DVD)
Runtime: 83′
Director: Siddiq Barmak
Cast: Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar
Production House: Barmak Film, Makhmalbaf Productions, Hubert Bals Fund, LeBrocquy Fraser Productions, NHK
Plot: During the Taleban regime in Afghanistan, a widow decides to dress her daughter up as a boy, so that at least one family member can [...]

Here’s a very sad story of an Afghan actress and how she has had to go into hiding because of her profession. The article goes on to say:
Correspondents say there is marked sense of unease among many other working women in Kabul and other Afghan cities as the presence of the Taleban - who have [...]