Pop culture has returned to Afghanistan. Over 2,000 people are auditioning for Afghan Pop Idol and even three women have come forward to try their luck. But in this troubled country, even music is dangerously controversial. Many of those taking part are literally risking their lives. Yet millions of people watch the show and vote by text from their cellphone for their favorite singers. We meet Rafi, a boy from Mazar-e-Sharif with a strong voice and a pretty face, Lima, a young woman from Kandahar who fears for her life every time she goes home, Hammeed, a young musician and classically trained singer from the Hazara ethnic group, and Setara, a controversial figure from Herat who wears the latest fashions and Bollywood make up.

Afghanistan — 2008 — DOC (English subtitles) 87mins