“They want to be heard and seen”

In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where women are denied the right to study, work, or speak freely, a group of young women risk their lives to form a secret reading circle and, inspired by Anne Frank’s experiences in 1940s Amsterdam, begin writing her diary. For these women, a dystopia is the reality. Now, they’re sharing it with the world Secret Reading Club of KabulA documentary directed by Shakiba Adil and Elina Hirvonen and partly filmed by the women themselves.

The film, described as “an intimate … testament to the power of art to keep hope and humanitarianism alive”, will have its world premiere on Monday, March 16 in the Nordic:DOX competition program of the 23rd edition of the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, CPH:DOX.

The festival’s website highlights the documentary, “We experience with shocking clarity what is at stake when the Taliban attacks a hidden school or arrests young girls for practicing martial arts.” The story is interwoven with director Adil’s insights from his travels. As a girl, she grew up under the first Taliban rule and after the fall of the Taliban, she became the first woman to appear on Afghan television. The festival stated: “Having been forced to flee his homeland twice, he has now dedicated his film to a new generation facing the same persecution he himself endured.”

Secret Reading Club of Kabul It was produced by Marco Talley, Johanna Raita and Paulina Piipponen. The cinematography was handled by Jarkko Virtanen, while the editor is Annukka Lilja. Yellow Film & TV is handling sales.

Spoke to Adil and Hirvonen heart About the journey of making the film, the safety measures they took and their hopes for young women Secret Reading Club of Kabul Will give Afghan women a chance to be heard and seen around the world.

How did you two meet for the first time?

Aadil We met here in Finland when I was working on another project with youth in Afghanistan, which was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. And Alina was working on the same project. I was creating this workshop, and he helped prepare the materials for it.

Hirvonen I’m also a writer, so I was making some writing exercises and things like that.

Aadil I was in Kabul ahead of the workshop, which was scheduled to take place in August. And there were rumors of the Taliban taking over cities. I never thought that Taliban occupation of Kabul would ever become a reality again. I thought, their time has passed, so much investment has been made and now there is a proper government.

Suddenly, I noticed that my phone was filled with text messages and WhatsApp messages. These were all my colleagues and people I knew, especially the women I worked with, female journalists in Afghanistan. They were all in panic. the minute it was [clear] The Taliban were everywhere, everyone was trying to go home as soon as possible. Of course, I was in shock. I didn’t want to believe it.

When my niece came back from school, I saw that she was crying, so I asked her the reason. She said: “We had to say goodbye to our classmates because the headteacher said we couldn’t come back to school.” I shocked. I was feeling worried because I had experienced the first wave of Taliban, and [had that same experience]. I remember what they did and how I felt.

Hirvonen I remember texting Shakiba and asking, “Do you know how to get out?” And he had no idea. We knew that the Taliban was going door to door and killing people, especially if you were collaborating with foreigners. And we knew that Shakiba would be targeted because of her work and her history as a journalist, the first lady on TV and a women’s rights activist.

So we started calling all the politicians, all the ministries from our side. Eventually we managed to get him on a list, and he was released.

How did you find the young women we follow? Secret Reading Club of Kabul?

Aadil I knew the lead girl, who had founded the book club, and she wanted to be a part of the film. And in the book club, there were many girls who were willing to participate, but we chose those who were more vocal and had something to say.

What security measures did you use to protect the young women and their identities during filming, other than using names in the film that are not their real names?

Hirvonen From a security point of view, there was a security professional present to help us, as our main priority was to ensure that the film did not [too much of a] Danger for girls. Of course, you can never be 100 percent sure, but we wanted to take every possible measure to not put them at risk.

Aadil No matter how careful you are, the risk still exists. But these girls wanted to get involved and knew the risks from the beginning.

how quickly it happened diary of a young girlalias Anne Frank’s diaryCame into play during filming?

Hirvonen It was there from the beginning. I remember it was something that Shakiba recommended to him, which he might like.

Aadil A long time ago, when I came to Finland, this book was given to me by a Finnish friend. As a young girl in Afghanistan, I always wondered: “Does the world know what we’re going through?” I thought we were alone. I thought we were the only ones who experienced it and no one would understand it. But when I read the book I was surprised. I just felt Anne Frank, I really felt her. I just felt that someone else had experienced the same thing as me and knew what it felt like to be stuck inside your house, not being able to do the things you wanted to do as a young girl.

So when I came back from Afghanistan, that book came to mind. I sent it to a lot of women in Afghanistan. I asked him to please read it. I tried to google it and find a PDF or something. I said: “Please read it and write down whatever you feel.” And [one girl who] Read it and then decided to make a book club.

What I found so sad to see in your film, beyond the Taliban beatings and other violence, was how the terror they create affects young women’s identities. We heard one say how she didn’t even want to be a woman anymore, didn’t want to live in Afghanistan anymore and how she was beginning to doubt her religion, all because of the Taliban. Did this surprise you too?

Hirvonen I was extremely impressed by how open and how brave they were. I was incredibly impressed by how he completely opened up his world on the outside, but was also impressed by what happened to him on the inside. What was more surprising to me was how beautiful his language was. All these talented women wanted to be in films. They want to be heard, and they want to be seen. They want to be seen as the people they are, not as something the Taliban tries to make them into.

Sometimes, people’s attitude about women in Afghanistan is that they are somehow different, that in their culture, it is somehow OK for them to be treated that way. But when these women show their insides and outs to the whole world, you can connect because they’re human, and they’re not so different.

Aadil I was also surprised by his bravery. There is a shot in the movie where [one of the women] Going on between all these men. That was one of the first pieces of footage we got, and when I saw it, I shuddered. I was like: “How can you do that?” There is also a photo of a Taliban member standing next to a gun being fired.

That’s when I realized that they are not my generation. They are different. They have been educated. They know what their rights are and they are not afraid to fight for it. They are not afraid to face Taliban. And his attitude is that he never gives up. In the film you see many times how their courses or classes are stopped by the Taliban, but they find another way to continue.

Hirvonen They are also supporting each other. There is this feeling of brotherhood among them. And they’re using art as a form of resistance. At least for these women, it’s a really concrete thing, filming and writing as a form of resistance. And after watching this film, even the most pro-Taliban ideologues will not be able to agree with Taliban.

What is your hope? Secret Reading Club of Kabul?

Hirvonen Our hope is that the film can really bring the international community together to put pressure on the Taliban, as happened with apartheid in South Africa. We want the international community to come together and say you cannot treat people like this. Fundamentally, our hope is that the voices of Afghan women can no longer be ignored. Our dream is that this film will bring the international community together to say that this needs to stop.

Aadil Grassroots women’s movements are going on in Afghanistan even under the extreme restrictions of the Taliban. So, yes, our hope is to bring the international community together to put pressure on the Taliban and recognize them [what they are doing] As a crime against humanity. We want to convey the intelligent voices of these women to the world and bring Afghan women to the world’s agenda. After all, human rights are universal.