Earlier this year, I was profoundly moved by the bravery of Ibrahim Nash’at, whose compelling documentary, Hollywoodgate, shadowed key Taliban figures as they reclaimed Kabul, seizing control of a former CIA base after the American troops had departed. Undoubtedly, Nash’at and his team demonstrated remarkable courage. However, their daring pales in comparison to the indomitable spirit of filmmaker Sahra Mani and the Afghan women who are the focal points of Bread & Roses.
Produced during a comparable timeframe to Hollywoodgate, Mani's film employs guerrilla filmmaking techniques and mobile phone cameras to document the Taliban's ascent through the perspective of female activists fighting to preserve their fundamental rights. Their passionate cries for “bread, work, and education” underscore the extensive freedoms taken from Afghan women. Denied employment and with girls' schools shuttered, they bear the brunt of the economic collapse caused by the Taliban’s financially inept fundamentalism. The perilous stakes faced by the protesters become harrowingly apparent as several, including the resilient dentist Zahra, are kidnapped by Taliban forces, while others desperately flee the country. The film is both potent and infuriating.
