TALKS

The Condition of Afghan Women under the New Regime

Wednesday, November 24th, 6.30 pm – Auditorium of Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche

An opportunity to learn about the changes in the political, social and cultural scene in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Taliban’s seizure of power last August, through the first-hand accounts of Repubblica correspondent Pietro Del Re. Starting with the story of Maniya, a 22-year-old local influencer on the run since August 20 after eight Taliban, armed to the teeth, broke into her home, the journalist will tell this and other testimonies of Afghan women collected last summer in Kabul.

With: Pietro Del Re (journalist and reporter from the Middle East for La Repubblica)

The talk will be held in Italian in presence (registration here) and in live streaming here, on our website.

The Creative Drain

Friday, November 26, 6.30 pm – Auditorium Gallerie delle Prigioni

Last August’ events, with the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, have caused a rush to evacuate among artists and cultural workers trying to find passage out of the country. This is not a new phenomenon for the country, however, although the events of the past few months have certainly resulted in its acceleration.

As visual artists, musicians, writers, photographers, actors, filmmakers, etc. leave Afghanistan, what does this reveal about the country’s artistic and cultural past, and what will be the consequences for its present and future?

With: Aman Mojadidi (exhibition curator and moderator), Francesca Recchia (researcher and art critic), Guilda Chahverdi (curator) and Farhad Bitani (writer)

The talk will be held in English with simultaneous translation in Italian.

You will be able to attend the talk in presence (registration here) or live streaming here on our website.

Click here to watch the recording of the talk.

Press Freedom and complications in the use of photography

Tuesday 30 November, 6.30 pm  – online

The restrictions on press freedom in Afghanistan already in place, and those that will be imposed by the new Taliban government are of great concern.

What will be the ability of the press to show the world what is really happening in Afghanistan today? What might the Taliban’s traditionally censorious attitude about photographing people mean for photography, particularly photojournalism?

With: Aman Mojadidi (exhibition curator and moderator), Lorenzo Tugnoli (independent photojournalist), Hamida Aman (director of Awaz communication agency, Kabul), Martin Gerner (independent journalist)

The talk will be held in English with simultaneous translation in Italian. You can watch the talk in live streaming here, on our website.

Click here to watch the recording of the talk.

Risks to cultural heritage and ways to prevent them

Thursday 2 December, 18.30 – online

Afghanistan’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage has a long and rich history spread throughout the country, from the unique weaves of carpets to tool making, historic forts, pre-Islamic sites and beyond. In an effort to ensure the preservation of this heritage, Islamic and otherwise, what are the risks (existing or new) to which the country’s tangible and intangible culture is subjected? What is being done to mitigate them?

With: Aman Mojadidi (exhibition curator and moderator), Ajmal Maiwandi (CEO Aga Khan Trust for Culture Afghanistan), Arash Boostani (architect), Michael Barry (Professor of Islamic Cultures at Princeton University), Paolo Fontani (former UNESCO director in Kabul)

The talk will be held in English with simultaneous translation in Italian.

You can watch the talk in live streaming here, on our website.

Click here to watch the recording of the talk.

movies

I racconti di Parvana (The Breadwinner), by Nora Twomey

November 29th, 6.30 PM – Auditorium Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche 

Free screening in the auditorium and online

Link to register for in-person screening: https://bit.ly/iraccontidiparvanalive

Link to watch it online: https://bit.ly/raccontiparvana 

The Tales of Parvana is the story of an 11-year-old girl who grows up under the Taliban regime in the Kabul of 2001 which oppresses the freedom of women. When her father is unjustly arrested, Parvana decides to disguise herself as a man in order to work and thus take care of her family. This daring young girl puts her life at risk, drawing strength from the very stories her father used to tell her to introduce her to the culture and beauty of Afghanistan.

Director: Nora Twomey

Year: 2017

Running time: 94 minutes

Language: Italian

Come pietra paziente (The Patience Stone), by Atiq Rahimi

December 7, 9pm – Auditorium Gallerie delle Prigioni

Free screening in the auditorium and online

Link to register for in-person screening: https://bit.ly/comeunapietrapazientelive

Link to watch it online: https://bit.ly/comepietrapaziente

At the foot of the mountains around Kabul, a young wife looks after her husband, a war hero, who is in a coma. Fratricidal war is tearing the city apart, and fighters are at their doorstep. Forced into love by a young soldier, against all expectations the woman opens up, becomes aware of her body, frees her speech to confide in her husband unmentionable memories and secrets. Little by little, in a liberating river, all her thoughts become a voice: she enchants, prays, cries and finally finds herself again. The unconscious man at her side becomes her syngué sabour, her patient stone, the magic stone that we put in front of ourselves to whisper all our secrets, our misfortunes, our sufferings… until it shatters.

Director: Atiq Rahimi

Year: 2013

Running time: 103 minutes

Language: Italian

Hava, Maryam, Ayesha, by Sahraa Karimi

December 14, at 9 pm – Auditorium Gallerie delle Prigioni

Free screening in the auditorium and online

Link to register for in-person screening: https://bit.ly/havamaryamayeshalive

Link to watch it online: https://bit.ly/havamaryam

Three Afghan women from different walks of life, living in Kabul, face a great challenge in their lives. Hava, a tradition-bound, pregnant woman about whom no one cares, lives with her in-laws. Maryam, an educated television journalist, is about to divorce her unfaithful husband, who discovers that she is pregnant. Ayesha, an eighteen-year-old girl, agrees to marry her cousin, as the boy who impregnated her has disappeared after learning of her pregnancy. She must therefore find a doctor to get an abortion and regain her virginity. For the first time, each of them must solve their problem alone.

Director: Sahraa Karimi

Year: 2019

Duration: 86 minutes

Language: Farsi and Dari with Italian subtitles

All films will be screened in Italian.