The Power of Song

A documentary about the Afghan version of "American Idol" has been named as the UK's submission for next year's foreign language film for the Oscars.

The documentary, "Afghan Star," explores the power of pop culture to change a country -- particularly poignant considering it's only been eight years since public singing has even been legal in Afghanistan.

There's already a lot of buzz around the film. It was a double-winner at this year's Sundance Film Festival, winning the World Cinema audience award for a documentary film as well as the World Cinema directing award for a documentary film.

London-based Director Havana Marking had been judged by some colleagues for her decision to make a film about "a trashy TV show." In an interview on the Sundance Film Festival site, she challenges the critics, "They told me that pop shows are rubbish, but shows like this are one of the fastest ways to reach people. What it's achieving in terms of change is more than any NGO could do in a year."

This change however hasn't come without drama -- serious life-threatening drama. One sequence in the documentary follows Setara, a female contestant (one of 2000 who auditioned for the show, only three of which were women) who starts a controversy after letting her headscarf slip while dancing on stage. She's forced to go into hiding after she and the series producers' lives are threatened following the incident. Talk about much ado over a wardrobe malfunction.

Yet week after week what viewers are seeing are representatives from different ethnic groups sharing the stage peacefully, something that would have been unthinkable less than 10 years ago.

Marking sums it up: "Compared to the depressing news coming out of the country, we thought that this was a powerful story with hope."

I guess one country's trash can be another's glimmer of hope -- or in the very least a diversion from the fatigue of a grinding 30 year-war.

Watch the trailer below:

Photo courtesy of Roastbeef TV.