The Etilaat Roz
As the Taliban takes over Kabul, the staff of Afghan newspaper the Etilaat Roz weigh their options: submit to the censorious new regime, continue their award-winning reporting on corruption, or escape their homeland forever.
Producer Zaki Daryabi and Subject Taqi Daryabi scheduled to attend.
Real Change—the Seattle paper committed to jobs, journalism, and justice—will be at the May 13 screening selling papers and hosting a special merch giveaway.
Tickets
Select showtime for pricing and tickets.
Monday, May 20 - Monday, May 27, 2024
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
In August 2021, as the Taliban prepared to occupy Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, director Abbas Rezaie picked up a camera. A staff member at the Etilaat Roz, the most widely read daily newspaper in the city, he filmed his colleagues over the days and weeks that followed. As events unfold and the situation changes day by day, the newspaper’s staff try to assess and respond to their new circumstances. Having spent a decade reporting on corruption and injustice, and building a reputation for transparency and trustworthiness, they feel a personal sense of responsibility to their readership. But ultimately they must decide: Do they stay and try to keep reporting? Will it be possible to continue their work in any meaningful way? Or do they—and their families—join the thousands of others attempting to flee the country? These questions only become more urgent as the Taliban, once in power, begin to crack down on the press, searching for reporters from house to house, and attacking them in public. The result is a gripping, immersive, first-hand account of a courageous group of journalists in an impossible situation where their job is both more important and more dangerous than ever.
- Original Language Title: Etilaat roz
- Director: Abbas Rezaie
- Principal Cast: Vahid Khoshnevis, Kazem Aghaie, Behrouz Sheida, Hesam Mirzaie
- Country: Afghanistan
- Year: 2022
- Running Time: 92 min.
- Producer: Zaki Daryabi, Abbas Rezaie
- Screenplay: Abbas Rezaie
- Cinematographers: Abbas Rezaie
- Editors: Pedram Yar
- Music: Pedram Yar
- Awards: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2022 (Best First Feature)
- Filmography: Debut Feature Film
- Language: Dari
- Has Subtitles: Yes