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MOVING ON TO FILMS ... TWO NEW INDEPENDENT FILMS, ONE BY AN AFGHAN WOMAN DIRECTOR AND
THE OTHER BY SAUDI ARABIA'S FIRST FEMALE FILMMAKER, LOOK AT GENDER RELATIONS IN TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES.
THOUGH VERY DIFFERENT IN STYLE, BOTH FILMS EXAMINE WOMEN'S LIVES IN GENDER SEGREGATED
COMMUNITIES. VOA ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER PENELOPE POULOU TALKED ABOUT THE FILMS AND THEIR FOCUS
WITH ON ASSIGNMENT'S REBECCA WARD.
I WAS TRYING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT. WHAT IS GET THAT CREATES AN UNEQUAL RELATIONSHIP,
PUTS WOMEN IN SECOND PLACE.
THE YOUNG WOMAN IN ATIQ RAHIMI'S FILM THE PATIENCE STONE POURS OUT HER HEART TO HER
COMATOSE HUSBAND ABOUT YEARS OF EMOTIONAL NEGLECT AND ABUSE.
"CAN YOU HEAR ME? NO, NOTHING."
AFGHAN ACTIVIST HOSSAI WARDAK SAYS RAHIMI PAINTS AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF THE TYPICAL
AFGHAN LOVELESS MARRIAGE -- AND FAMILY RELATIONS IN MALE-DOMINATED SOCIETIES LIKE AFGHANISTAN.
"MARRIAGE TENDS TO BE A RELATION WHERE IT'S MORE OF BEING ABLE TO PRODUCE BABIES AND EXPAND
FAMILIES ."
HOSSAI WARDAK, WHO IS AN AFGHAN, ACTUALLY MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE NOT MANY WOMEN WHO
LEARN THE KORAN OR WHO ARE ALLOWED TO INTERPRET THE KORAN INDEPENDENTLY. AND THE INTERPRETATION
OF THE HOLY BOOK FOR THEM COMES FROM MEN. SO THE TRADITIONALISM IS PERPETUATED. THAT'S
THE COMMON THREAD YOU SEE IN BOTH FILMS.
ANOTHER COMMON THREAD THAT YOU FIND IN BOTH WHICH IS VERY INTERESTING IS THE WAY WOMEN
THEMSELVES PERPETUATE SOMETIMES THESE TRADITIONALISTS.
DO YOU THINK THAT THE FILMMAKERS OF BOTH THESE FILMS BELIEVE THAT FILMS LIKE THIS CAN EVENTUALLY
CHANGE THE SOCIETIES THAT THESE FILMS ARE BASED ON?
I DON'T THINK ANY FILMMAKER WILL TELL YOU THAT HE OR SHE STARTED A FILM SINGLE-MINDEDLY
BY PLANNING TO CHANGE A SOCIETY. BUT I THINK THERE IS HARDLY ANY IMPORTANT AND SERIOUS
FILM THAT ADDRESSES CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES THAT DOESN'T.
I TRIED TO MAKE A FILM THAT IS ABOUT LIFE, THE LOVE OF LIFE, NOT GIVING UP. IT'S ABOUT
PERSISTENCE AND THE POWER OF DREAMING. AND I THINK THAT IN THE MIDDLE EAST WE NEED FILMS
LIKE THIS.
THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT WADJDA WILL NOT SHOW IN SAUDI ARABIA AT THIS POINT BECAUSE
THERE ARE NO MOVIE THEATERS THERE YET. THIS IS HOW PIONEERING HAIFA MANSOUR IS IN HER
SKILL. HOWEVER THEY WILL SHOW ON YOU TUBE.
NOW THE AFGHAN FILM -- WILL IT BE SHOWN IN AFGHANISTAN?
THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION. I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
BUT IT IS, IT IS NOT IN ENGLISH?
NO IT'S IN DARI.
HOW WAS THE BOOK RECEIVED?
IT IS CONSIDERED A CONTROVERSIAL BOOK BECAUSE IT CONTAINS SOME THINGS THAT EVEN ATTACKS
SOME PREMISES OF THE KORAN, THE ISLAMIC RELIGION OR HOW IT IS PERCEIVED. SO IT IS NOT A BOOK
THAT THE AFGHAN ESTABLISHMENT WOULD HAVE APPROVED OF.
AS A WOMAN, YOUR IMPRESSION OF THESE FILMS? I MEAN HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU SAW EACH
ONE OF THEM?
OH MY GOD, PAIN, A LOT OF PAIN. THE FIRST ONE HURT ME ON THE LEVEL OF HUMANITY AND MADE
ME INDIGNANT. THE SECOND ONE HURT ME BECAUSE IT REMINDED ME OF MY CHILDHOOD. I REMEMBER
HOW A BIKE FOR ME WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF MY LIFE. I WAS ON THE BIKE ALL THE TIME. AND
TO SEE THIS 10-YEAR-OLD WHO REMINDED ME SO MUCH OF MYSELF STRUGGLING TO GET SOMETHING
THAT SHOULD BE GIVEN... I HAVE TO ADMIT I CRIED ALL THE WAY, ALL THE WAY.
AND THANKS AGAIN TO PENELOPE