As the U.S. planned to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in September 2021, Canadian-Afghan filmmaker and journalist Brishkay Ahmed was filming IN THE RUMBLING BELLY OF MOTHERLAND. Revealing the ongoing dangers for women reporters, and the extraordinary risks they take, this brave film provides an in-depth look into Zan TV, Kabul’s female-led news agency. A professional journalist herself, Ahmed documents both the harrowing and inspiring work of young, female journalists over the course of the two-year lead up to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Following parallel news stories as they unfold – two sets of national elections as well as ongoing U.S.-Taliban peace talks – the film reveals the daily hurdles Afghan female reporters and media staff face, underscoring the existential current events that threaten both Zan TV as a media outlet and the livelihoods of the women at its heart. Ultimately, IN THE RUMBLING BELLY OF MOTHERLAND serves as a prescient reminder that journalism matters and that we can never take women's rights for granted.
"This film should be of special interest." The National Observer
"Illustrates journalism at its finest, and most harrowing.” The Georgia Straight
"The film should evoke empathy in the view and also stoke a sense of responsibility that might bloom into advocacy." Educational Media Reviews Online
"Women's voices and independent journalism have never been more in peril or, as IN THE RUMBLING BELLY OF MOTHERLAND reminds, more important." Create a Stir
Citation
Main credits
Ahmed, Brishkay (film director)
Ahmed, Brishkay (screenwriter)
Ahmed, Brishkay (director of photography)
Ahmed, Brishkay (editor of moving image work)
Other credits
Camera, Brishkay Ahmed, Fatima Tawakoli, Ali Hussein Husseini; composer, Chris Hind; editor, Brishkay Ahmed; ChitChat Productions, Inc.
Documentary Films; Asian & Middle Eastern Studies; Journalism
Keywords
Global Feminism,; Middle East,; Feminism,; Islamic Studies,; Human Rights,; Politics,; War,; Young Women; "In Rumbling Belly of Motherland"; Women Make Movies
Distributor: Women Make Movies
Length: 83 minutes
Date: 2021
Genre: Expository
Language: English; Dari / English subtitles
Grade: College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Not available
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