Synopsis (at <http://www.womenandwar.com/WW_page02.html>):
WOMEN AND WAR is a documentary film that will follow the stories of three extraordinary Afghan women who are actively resisting their oppression. The film profiles a teacher forced into prostitution, a poet/activist, and a female doctor, all of whom have been widowed by past wars and are once again facing further destruction. Their lives have been very directly affected by the geopolitical gamings that were and still are being played out in their land. While facing the day-to-day challenges of putting together the shattered pieces of their lives, they are also organizing to rebuild, restructure and educate for their future. They are teaching children, providing medical help and training, and caring for orphans, simple tasks but performed in utmost secrecy and at the risk of their lives.
The film will take the viewer into the back alleys of war, into the private places where the women nurture hope and work actively to make dreams of peace a reality. Amidst the terror and death, there are extraordinary spaces where lives are being inspired and rebuilt. WOMEN AND WAR will give an intimate and complex portrayal of these women and their heroic struggle for self-determination and survival, exposing the connection between their personal stories and the global events that affect them.
Too often, the public debate of the Sept. 11th attacks and their aftermath have been polarized into "us" vs. "them," between good and evil, the West/modernity and the Middle East/medieval regimes. This film dares listen to the women, who speak beyond polar opposites and politics, in a worldwide cry for human rights and democracy.
With Afghan women central to the story, WOMEN AND WAR offers a wrenchingly powerful portrayal of women who are, against all odds, taking the fate of their future into their own hands. As recent events have made clear, it is a future that affects not only the reconstruction of Afghanistan, but one in which we all have a stake.
Contacts:
_Women and War_ is a work in progress: There is a team of women in Pakistan refugee camps now, shooting. We need your ideas, your feedback, your [financial] support. Help us get the voices of Afghan women heard!
To help Meena Nanji complete _Women and War_, send donations to DSG PRODUCTIONS:
DSG PRODUCTIONS 10839 Washington Blvd Culver City, CA 90232
For more info, e-mail Amie S. Williams at <amie at womenandwar.com> or Libby Horne at <libby at womenandwar.com> or call (310) 202-8704.