Film Synopsis: Facing the Dragon

As American forces and aid leave Afghanistan, Afghan- American filmmaker Sedika Mojadidi crafts an intimate portrait of two awe-inspiring women: Nilofar, a member of parliament, and Shakila, a television journalist.

With recent gains for women and the country’s fragile democracy hanging in the balance, Nilofar and Shakila face increasing threats to their own lives and their families’ safety – jeopardising their ability to change their country from within.

Facing the Dragon sheds a stark light on the ongoing struggles of a democracy shattered by decades of international and internal conflict. It also powerfully encapsulates, in the stories of its two protagonists, much of the energy women the world over are pouring into addressing power imbalance – not only in public representation but also in calling democratic institutions to account, increasing access to education and carving more space for nonviolent dialogue in public discourse.

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