Girls on the Air

Twenty-five-year-old Humaira lived through the Taliban regime, but she now puts on lipstick for the camera, full of self-confidence. She studied journalism and started her own radio station, Radio Sahar, back in 2003. It becomes clear how much has changed since the fall of the Taliban when we see a group of female journalists interviewing people at the fair, their djellabas flapping in the wind. This carefully made documentary intersperses atmospheric shots of Afghanistan with footage of Humaira as courageous editor-in-chief. In a country full of illiteracy, she understands the importance of radio to convey the news to the people. In the local courthouse, women openly discuss their often harrowing situations. These stories have been told before, but the fact that they are getting broadcast all over Afghanistan is new. Unfortunately, the post-Taliban years have not only seen improvements: Humaira talks about the political unrest, the increasing violence against women, and the suicide attacks. Will Afghanistan ever become the "women-dominated place" that a man jokingly calls it at the end of the film? The future is uncertain, and it will probably remain that way. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)