A $5,000 grant was awarded to the Iranian filmmaker Sarvnaz Alambeigi for her project Broken Flower

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Broken Flower is eighteen years old. She is of a new generation of teenage Afghan girls and she wants to change Afghanistan’s anti-women traditions. Born in Iran, her approach to life is different from that of her family. Her parents are workers and Broken Flower wants to be a professional Muay Thai athlete. Her father broke her arm twice in order to suppress her aspirations and this made her understand that a woman does not become a hero in Afghan society. Hidden away from the eyes of the family Broken Flower prepares for professional Muay Thai competitions.

On the other hand, further problems and obstacles besides the domestic violence are on the horizon. In Iran, due to her nationality, she cannot join the women’s national Muay Thai team. She decided to choose the only option: return to Afghanistan and join the Afghan team. The insecure situation in Afghanistan makes the path tense, unpredictable and insecure for her.