Afghan Star
Encyclopedia
Afghan Star is a 2009 documentary film
following four contestants in the Afghan music competition, Afghan Star. Afghan Star was directed by Havana Marking
and is distributed by Zeitgeist Films
.
. The show is popular among ordinary Afghan people and fans vote for their favorite contestants even across ethnic lines.
Contestant Setara Hussainzada is the first of the four to be eliminated. During her farewell performance she dances, accidentally letting her headscarf
slip. 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. She explains that she is open-minded and that she wants other Afghans to be as well. She returns home to her family who she has put in danger through her actions. The other female contestant Lema Sahar, a Pashtun
, is eliminated in the last round leaving Naabzada and Sakhizada. While one-third of Afghanistan watches, Rafi Naabzada wins the final round, becoming the Afghan Star.
rating on Rotten Tomatoes
, and is the best rated film of 2009. It was also labeled a NYT's Critic's Pick after Stephen Holden
recommended it in his review for The New York Times
. Holden praised the film for the way in which it explores modern Afghan culture through the "prism" of its four protagonists and their own personal struggles.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
following four contestants in the Afghan music competition, Afghan Star. Afghan Star was directed by Havana Marking
Havana Marking
Havana Marking is a British producer and director of documentary films. She is best known for the 2009 film Afghan Star which won the Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.Marking was born in England and moved to the United States as a child...
and is distributed by Zeitgeist Films
Zeitgeist Films
Zeitgeist Films is an American independent film distributor based in New York City founded in 1988 by co-Presidents Nancy Gerstman and Emily Russo. Films distributed by Zeitgeist are strongly auteur-driven by directors such as Christopher Nolan, Guy Maddin, Atom Egoyan, Todd Haynes, Nuri Bilge...
.
Plot
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. 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. The contestants become national celebrities with people campaigning for votes which are cast via SMSSMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
. The show is popular among ordinary Afghan people and fans vote for their favorite contestants even across ethnic lines.
Contestant Setara Hussainzada is the first of the four to be eliminated. During her farewell performance she dances, accidentally letting her headscarf
Headscarf
Headscarves or head scarves are scarves covering most or all of the top of a woman's hair and her head. Headscarves may be worn for a variety of purposes, such as for warmth, for sanitation, for fashion or social distinction; with religious significance, to hide baldness, out of modesty, or other...
slip. 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. She explains that she is open-minded and that she wants other Afghans to be as well. She returns home to her family who she has put in danger through her actions. The other female contestant Lema Sahar, a Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
, is eliminated in the last round leaving Naabzada and Sakhizada. While one-third of Afghanistan watches, Rafi Naabzada wins the final round, becoming the Afghan Star.
Won
- 2009 Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary
- World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary
- 2009 Prix ItaliaPrix ItaliaThe Prix Italia is an international Italian television, radio-broadcasting and Website award. It was established in 1948 by RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana in Capri...
for Cultural/General Interest
Reception
The film was universally acclaimed by critics. The film currently holds a 100% "fresh" aggregateAggregate data
In statistics, aggregate data describes data combined from several measurements.In economics, aggregate data or data aggregates describes high-level data that is composed of a multitude or combination of other more individual data....
rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, and is the best rated film of 2009. It was also labeled a NYT's Critic's Pick after Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden is an American writer, music critic, film critic, and poet.Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963...
recommended it in his review for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. Holden praised the film for the way in which it explores modern Afghan culture through the "prism" of its four protagonists and their own personal struggles.