Three years after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, Apple is releasing a powerful documentary detailing the harrowing impact it has had on women.
Upcoming movie Bread and roses follows three women — Dr. Zahra Mohammadi, Sharif Mowahedzad and Tarana Seyedi — “as they fight to regain their autonomy,” according to the official synopsis.
The film’s trailer, shared exclusively with PEOPLE, shows a group of women adjusting to a new reality after the Taliban take over Kabul in August 2021.
“After my engagement, people were praying, life was normal, and then suddenly lightning struck,” says one woman.
Emotional voices in the trailer explain that the Taliban have restricted women’s rights and that they can no longer study or “go out unaccompanied.” One woman, Dr. Mohammadi, is forced to leave her clinic because of the Taliban regime.
“I’m making this video so that if something happens to me, you know that the Islamic Emirates is responsible,” the woman says directly into the camera.
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Bread and roses.
Apple TV+
Throughout the trailer, flashes of violent protests fill the scene as women are shown protesting for their rights. They chant: “Work, bread and education”. There is also a behind-the-scenes look at how they organized and taught each other.
Towards the end, several women stand in line partially covering their faces with a hand that reads “#StandWithWomenInAfghanistan” on the palm.
“We would sacrifice our lives for this country and its people,” says the woman.
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Bread and roses.
Apple TV+
The Sahra Mani-directed film first premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival before being acquired by the streaming giant. Jennifer Lawrence and Justine Ciarrocchi joined Mani on the project as producers, with Malala Yousafzai and Farhad Khosravi serving as executive producers.
The title of the documentary is a nod to a political slogan used in the women’s suffrage movement – inspired by James Oppenheim’s poem of the same name.
“Several brilliant women participated in this film with the hope of raising their voices and sharing their stories with the world outside of Afghanistan,” Mani tells PEOPLE. “They are aware of the risks of participating in the documentary, but their desire for education, work and freedom outweighed the possible risks to their safety.”
“They joined side by side with the hope that audiences around the world will hear their story and remember that there is an entire population of women who, despite the changed circumstances in their country, still have dreams for themselves, their mothers, their sisters, daughters and everyone else . women living under the firm rule of the Taliban,” adds the director.
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Bread and roses.
Apple TV+
The Taliban, who first emerged in the 90s, regained control of Afghanistan in 2021 shortly after the United States withdrew from the country after a 20-year war. The fundamentalist group entered the capital on August 15, 2021, after the country’s then-president Ashraf Ghani fled in what he claimed was an attempt to avoid further violence.
When the US temporarily overthrew the Taliban in 2001, the country made huge gains in education and women’s rights. But when the Taliban returned, many predicted “everything would be wiped out,” as he told PEOPLE in a 2021 interview.
At the time, officials said some women’s sports would be banned, notably cricket, while the deputy head of the Taliban’s culture commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, said it was “not necessary” for women to play the sport because “they could face a situation where their face and body will not be covered.”
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Since then, the Taliban have “banned all sports for women and girls” and “have actively intimidated and harassed those who once played sports, often scaring them away from even practicing privately,” the Associated Press writes.
Drastic changes were also made in women’s education. According to the AP, girls can no longer attend school beyond the sixth grade and are barred from public spaces such as parks, gyms and most jobs.
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Recently, the United Nations questioned the Taliban about their treatment of women. Although the rulers of the country were not invited to the council, since they are not recognized by the intergovernmental organization, they were represented by a previously appointed ambassador. When asked, the representative said that the Taliban said that women have rights under Islamic law, reports Reuters.
Bread and roseswhich pulls back the curtain on the lives of women in Afghanistan, will premiere on Apple TV+ on November 22, 2024.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education