Diana SAQEB, Malek SHAFI¡¯I
The Stoning of Soraya M., When We Leave, Incendies have one thing in common which is showing the life of women in the Middle East. They have a thing as important as locality. That is, what religion they have. For Middle Eastern women, the common noun ¡°human rights¡± is strange. Well, it is rather too far away. In 2009, the national assembly in Afghanistan approved Shia Family Law. This law punishes women when they leave home without their husband¡¯s permission or when they refuse the husband¡¯s sexual demands. Afghanistan women want to check the implementation of the law. To the women who have accessed to different worlds, the law is violence and degeneration. These women hold a protest demonstration in front of the biggest religious school in Afghanistan. The real problem follows after the protest. Men say those women are only the crazy followers of the West. They say women in the West would do anything for money; to the extreme where they would be almost naked for advertisements, and sarcastically ask if that if what freedom is about. For the Middle Eastern men, insisting on women¡¯s rights is westernization and an ethical fall. However, women won¡¯ t give up that easy. This movement can be the first action trying to secure their rights. Protesting, asking and enduring are their efforts to take back their human rights on what they rightfully have. Their movement is their hope and future. Even now, Islamic women want ethics and duties as a human and not as a woman, in which the law is equally applied to everyone not discriminately. They want the freedom to choose a humane life, the freedom to decide one¡¯s own life. (KANG Yu-jung)
Diana SAQEB
Documentary filmmaker and women rights activist, Diana SAQEB studied at the Tehran Art Academy. She is currently a member of BASA - an artists¡¯ group in Kabul and directed 25 Percent and Run Roobina Run. She is the festival coordinator of the 1st Autumn Human Rights Film Festival and has worked as deputy director on the 2nd and 3rd editions of the Kabul International Film Festival. She is the chief editor of Theme – a magazine on Cinema, Theatre, Music, Television. Mohtarama (2012) Run Roobina Run (2009) 25 Percent (2007)
Malek SHAFI¡¯I
Malek SHAFI¡¯I has been making documentary films in Afghanistan and abroad for the last 12 years. He completed his education at Baagh Ferdaws Islamic Filmmaking Center in 1999 in Tehran and attended a film production course in the Netherlands. He founded Afghanistan Cinema Club – BASA in 2006 and has made about 30 films. He is founder and director of Autumn Human Rights Film Festival and also organized the 2nd and 3rd editions of the Kabul International Documentary and Short Film Festival. Mohtarama (2012) Up to the Parliament (2007) Pamir Territory (2005)