Kabulistan

Presentation: Sandra Schäfer, Jochen Becker
Monday, 28 May 2007, 12 pm - 2 pm
Venue: WKV Stuttgart


KABUL/TEHERAN 1979FF
FILMLANDSCHAFTEN, STÄDTE UNTER STRESS UND MIGRATION
www.metrozones.info

Introduction to the book published by Verlag b_books/metroZones in 2006 and edited by Sandra Schäfer, Jochen Becker and Madeleine Bernstorff.

1979: In Iran the Shah is toppled from power and the Islamic Republic established; at the same time, with the invasion of the Soviet army the civil war escalates in Afghanistan. 
Kabul/Teheran 1979ff, shows history (stories) by Iranian and Afghan filmmakers from 1979 until the present and bundles together contributions on the theme of the urban society of the two metropolises, as well as on the refugee camps along the borders of the two neighbouring countries. It also provides a report on the practices of urban survival, cultural productions and feminist resistance.


PASSING THE RAINBOW
Passing the Rainbow is a documentary film by Sandra Schäfer and Elfe Brandenburger about actors and actresses, as well as the methods of subverting the rigid social norms in Afghan society. 



What does it mean to adopt a male appearance in order to find work on the employment market and, in so doing, to circumvent the ban on work for women introduced during the Taliban-Regime? And why do women practice the profession of acting, a profession for the most part considered “disreputable” in Afghan society? Many of them do not possess a formal training and the frequent work with improvisation allows the performers a great deal of creative freedom. In addition to her roles, she must justify her work both for her family as well as in other social contexts. Passing the Rainbow is a film that enacts scenes drawn from the everyday life of the actresses, thereby reflecting the relations between the sexes. With these methods, fictive settings are opened up which, in their expression, transgress real possibilities