Afghan Star (DVD)
Directed by Havana Marking
“A FANTASTIC DOCUMENTARY about a talent competition in a country where you would never dream such a thing is possible!”
– Oprah Winfrey
After thirty years of war and five devastating years of Taliban rule, pop culture is beginning to return to Afghanistan. Since 2005, millions have been tuning in to Tolo TV’s wildly popular American Idol-style series Afghan Star. Like its Western predecessors, contestants compete for a cash prize and record deal. More surprisingly—as women were previously banned from singing on public airwaves—the contest is open to everyone across the country despite gender, ethnicity or age. Two thousand people audition, including three extremely brave women. And when viewers vote for their favorites via cell phone, it is, for many, their first encounter with the democratic process.
Havana Marking’s timely and moving film follows the dramatic stories of four young finalists—two men and two women—as they hazard everything to become the nation’s favorite performer. By observing the Afghani people’s relationship to their pop culture, Afghan Star is the perfect window into a country’s tenuous, ongoing struggle for modernity. What Americans consider frivolous entertainment is downright revolutionary—and more human—in this embattled part of the world.
DVD Extras Include:
- 16:9 anamorphic transfer, enhanced for widescreen TVs
- New video interview with director Havana Marking
- Theatrical trailers
To read more about Kino Lorber Edu's terms of use and ordering information,
visit Kino Lorber Edu.
Related Products
Country: U.S.
Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman are Kiki & Herb, worldwide smash punk rebel entertainers, cabaret outsiders, and subversive pop stars who rock all over the world. Join the Tony-nominated duo for... More
Country: U.S., U.S.
A kaleidoscopic portrait of Josh Dolgin of 18 short films which display his electrifying craft and sense of history. Combining Yiddish songs with funk, rap and everything in between, his tunes are... More
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S.
A vibrant chronicle of one of today's most notorious and revered live bands, this film follows Eugene Hutz's gypsy-punk brigade around the world as they spread their liberating libertine musical... More
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., Switzerland
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction is a personal documentary about the iconic actor in his intimate moments, with clips from some of his 250 films and his own heart-breaking renditions of American... More
Unearthing a treasure trove of archival footage, filmmakers Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine have fashioned a dazzling and entrancing ode to the revolutionary 20th-century dance troupes that performed... More
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., Switzerland, U.S.
Elvis Presley may have been born with the rock 'n roll in his blood but without poverty, southern culture and a mother whom he adored, Elvis Aaron Presley might have been just another poor white guy... More
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., Switzerland, U.S., U.S.
Being in the World takes us on a journey around the world to meet philosophers influenced by the thought of Martin Heidegger, as well as experts in the fields of sports, music, craft, and cooking, in... More
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., Switzerland, U.S., U.S., Germany, Nigeria
Originally broadcast on German and Nigerian television, this is some of the best live footage of Fela Kuti ever captured on film. As a headliner of the prestigious German music festival, Fela takes... More
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., Switzerland, U.S., U.S., Germany, Nigeria, U.K.
In CREAM: FAREWELL CONCERT, the influential rock supergroup says goodbye to their fans at the Royal Albert Hall in London, on November 26, 1968. Featuring candid interviews with members Eric Clapton,... More
Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., Switzerland, U.S., U.S., Germany, Nigeria, U.K., U.S.
A wildly entertaining, star-studded documentary about The Beatles’s favorite American musician, Who Is Harry Nilsson? (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him) is a vibrant and definitive... More
RT' @CinemaBandwagon': HUGE than you to' @BethesdaStudios' +' @Fallout' for one of the coolest #ReclamationDay parties we have ever had at the' @a…'
RT' @LaurasMiscMovie': Tonight's Movie: THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1945) - A' @KinoLorber' Blu-ray Review' https://t.co/RoYlag684W'' @KLStudioClassic' M…
Our next #31DaysofHorror recommendation comes from our Director of Educational Sales Estelle Grosso (@estellevision…' https://t.co/U0fGubswSq'
RT' @StampShelley': Preview screenings from the @KinoLorber FIRST WOMEN FILMMAKERS set continue this weekend at the Gene Siskel @filmcente…
RT' @QuadCinema': "You’re in for something more artful, ethereal and, perhaps, pathological than a routine vampire skin flick." -@nytimes. Fi…
RT' @QuadCinema': One of Jean Rollin’s darkest and goriest movies, THE LIVING DEAD GIRL stars Françoise Blanchard, who pulls out all the stop…
@russfischer' @themetaplexcom' April 2019 theatrical release
"Some of the most indelible poetic images and surrealist sequences of the horror cinema." – Tim Lucas Très Outré:…' https://t.co/uEQYkDPpdr'
RT' @Laissezbronzer': Coming to DVD and Blu-ray January 8th in NORTH AMERICA VIA' @KinoLorber' ! LET THE CORPSES TAN A Film by Hélène Cattet…
RT' @r_emmet': The delirious poliziotteschi homage Let the Corpses Tan is coming to DVD and Blu-ray January 8th with an audio commentary by f…
General Inquiries
333 W. 39th St., Ste. 503
New York, NY 10018
Tel. (800) 562-3330
Fax. (212) 714-0871
Press & Media
For publicity assistance and press inquiries please contact us by emailing rodrigo@kinolorber.com or calling 212-629-6880.
Educational
Please visit our educational site at www.KinoLorberEDU.com
For assistance with educational orders, please contact us at:
Phone:212-629-6880
Fax: 212-714-0871
email: edu@kinolorber.com
