To mark International Women’s Day, ActionAid has partnered with Birds Eye View to present an exclusive evening that celebrates women in Afghanistan.

The evening will premiere three short documentaries made by Afghan women powerfully bringing alive through the lens what life is like for women in today’s Afghanistan. The evening will include a directors Q & A and a discussion on ActionAid’s work in Afghanistan.

Half Value Life
Dir. Alka Sadat, Afghanistan 2008, 25 min with subtitles

A gripping, stylish film featuring Mariya Bashir - the first and only public prosecutor in Heart, a city known for its corruption, booming kidnapping industry and, above all, domestic violence against women.

A Girl from Kabul
Dir. Shakiba Adil, Afghanistan/Finland 2007, 15min with subtitles

The ‘girl from Kabul’ is not a girl, but a woman, who is choosing to reject marriage to pursue a career in journalism. Parwin Aubie works as a camerawomen for the national broadcasting service in Kabul. If she gets married, it would mean the end of her career, but being single is an invitation to slander.

A Day in the Life of Rahela
Dir. Dil Afruz Zeerak, Afghanistan 2006, 27 min with subtitles

Thirteen year old Rahela and her family live on one of the steep mountainsides in the middle of Kabul. Rahela is lucky to have the chance to attend school, but the opportunity turns into feelings of imprisonment and disappointment. This beautifully observed film is an encounter between two women, the filmmaker and her protagonist.