One World Film Festival - Rebel Beats
Defying death threats, Afghanistan’s most popular female rapper takes on controversial issues such as gender equality, child marriage and violence against women.
Interview with Writer/Director Omid Marzban
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you very much. The reason behind making Rebel Beats was inspired by the extraordinary efforts of Paradise and Diverse. They are two of the bravest Afghan activists who raise women’s voice and fight for gender equality through music – especially the kind of music that is not very common in Afghanistan.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
As an audience you can see two sides of Afghanistan in the Rebel Beats. One side that is commonly known from the world press which tells you about the oppression of women, domestic violence and male dominance. And the other side, which you hardly notice in the mainstream media is that a generation or a large group of people – including men – do exist in Afghanistan who believe in gender equality, deny male dominance and work hard to defeat religious, cultural extremism. These are the people who risk their lives. Paradise and Diverse are the living examples. In a short glance, Rebel Beats also takes the audience to the Afghanistan of the 1970s, where women used to wear mini-skirts, attended education centers without wearing the Burqa or Hijab and appeared on TV without any objections on what and how do they perform.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
As a person who grew up in Afghanistan and studied film in Prague, I have tried to combine my understanding of Afghanistan’s local traditions and culture together with my European knowledge of film making in order to deliver my message to the audience in the best possible way. Luckily it has worked and the film has been received well by Afghan and western audiences.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The idea of picturing the lives of Paradise and Diverse came to my mind almost two years before the film was produced, but unfortunately I had no financial support to actively work on it. In 2015 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty - that is my employer - dedicated some money to projects that are beyond our daily broadcast and production. The competitive program was called “Special Projects”. I hurried up, wrote my synopsis and treatment then submitted them to the dedicated board. Eventually I got a green light and a small amount of money was dedicated by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) to the project. Since this money was not enough and I knew I needed another pair of professional helping hands to guarantee the quality of my film, I tried to bring on board the post-production company Europe Media Nest (EMN).
EMN played a vital role in providing free equipment and post production work, for which I would like to thank them alongside RFE/RL. Rebel Beats was initially planned to be shot in 3 weeks. But due to the many restrictions such as finance, security and tight scheduling of my kindest volunteer crew, we had to shrink the shooting schedule to six days, two days of which Paradise was sick and did not agree to appear on camera. So basically we spent four days with the couple and two days around Kabul city. The film’s post production was completed in Prague and we premiered in Prague’s Royal Cinema on June 29th 2016.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I believe feedback – positive or negative – build the back bone of a film maker’s career. I have received much positive feedback for which I am thankful. But I have also faced those who believe the film is just another attempt to promote western culture in Afghanistan and defy religious and cultural beliefs. In general Rebel Beats is a film that has its friends and foes.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
As I said Rebel Beats has its friends and foes. For sure the film’s friends consider me a friend and the film’s foes consider me a foe. However, I believe Paradise and Diverse’s story must be told and their bravery to fight for what is right should have been documented and shown to the people inside and outside Afghanistan.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I would like to thank We Are Moving Stories for showing interest in my film. I believe being featured by such a powerful and dedicated website will help Rebel Beats and the story of Diverse and Paradise reach a larger number of audience. I wish the team of We Are Moving Stories – especially its founder Carmela Baranowska - best of luck, health and huge success in the future. I am sure with dedication and hard work you are making a considerable difference in the world.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Beside its premier on June 2016, Rebel Beats has been screened at Afghanistan International Women’s Film Festival in Kabul, Festival of Iranian Films in Prague and now at One World Human Rights Documentary Film Festival. On March 11th Rebel Beats will also be screened in France (http://www.la-tannerie.com/salle-de-concert/evenement-15514-143bandmusic-rebel-beats.html). Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty and Media Nest have not yet started giving the film TV rights to anyone. But I believe after the film’s tour of festivals are over I am sure you will be able to watch the film on some international TV channels as well as national TV channels inside Afghanistan. I will be more than happy to see Rebel Beats in as many platforms as possible in order to convey the message of equality, tolerance, peace and happiness to many more people.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Well, I would like the audience to react to the film honestly and freely. I want them to share their opinions with freedom and honesty, it doesn’t matter whether they like the film or not. As I said earlier, feedback builds the backbone of a film maker’s career. I would like to hear from the audience as much feedback as possible in order to help myself find my real place in the society as an artist and journalist.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Well, the question that can spark a debate about Rebel Beats differs due to the political and social atmosphere of the place where we would like to spark the debate. For example, in a circle of educated elites in Afghanistan the question could be “can the film open the eyes and minds of people who still believe that women are second class citizens of this country?”. But in a circle of tough religious and traditional men the question can be “is Omid Marzban promoting western values by defying our religion and traditions?” Meanwhile in a cinema hall in Prague the question that can spark a debate might be “how can we help change the living condition of Afghan women and how can we give a helping hand to men and women like Paradise and Diverse to improve / save the lives of other human beings?”.
Would you like to add anything else?
I would like to thank my brave crew members Cedric Larvoire (Director of Photography) and Mikko Kolehmainen (Location Sound Mixer) who volunteered to travel with me to a country where they have never been before – a country in which their lives could have been at risk. I also thank the editor of my film Kaveh Daneshmand who put a lot of effort in the film and added to its artistic value, as well as Steve Reverand whose post production support was extraordinary. Of course without the help of Europe Media Nest and the film’s main producer, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, my idea of making a film about Paradise and Diverse would remain just an idea – not a film that is called Rebel Beats now.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Right now I am working on a series of documentary films that focus on victims of events motivated by extreme religious beliefs. The first four episodes of the series we shot in Afghanistan last year are picturing the devastating effects of religious extremism on the lives of ordinary people in Afghanistan. The films are in post-production stage.
Interview: March 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Rebel Beats
Defying death threats, Afghanistan’s most popular female rapper takes on controversial issues such as gender equality, child marriage and violence against women.
Length: 26 minutes
Director: Omid Marzban
Producer: Mardo Soghom, Kaveh Farnam
Writer: Omid Marzban
About the writer, director and producer:
Writer / Director:
A journalist and filmmaker from Afghanistan, Omid Marzban studied screenwriting and film directing at the Prague Film School. Born in 1984, Omid has witnessed all of the major political turmoil in Afghanistan over the past three decades – from the collapse of the communist regime to the empowerment of the mujahedin, the civil war, the Taliban, and post-Taliban Afghanistan.
Producers:
Mardo Soghom is Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty’s regional director for Southwest Asia.
Kaveh Farnam is the founder of Advanced Media and Europe Media Nest. The two companies based in Dubai and Prague provide equipment, production and post production services for film and television.
Key cast: Paradise and Diverse – 143Band.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
The film does not need any more producers and its main distributor is Europe Media Nest, however news coverage of the film and its submission to film festivals will be greatly appreciated. Buyers are also most welcome. They can contact Europe Media Nest’s manager in Prague Mr. Kaveh Daneshmand at kaveh.daneshmand@medianest.net or +420257317518
Funders: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (www.rferl.org)
Made in association with: Europe Media Nest (www.medianest.net/home)