Ustad Mahwash Documentary, Backed by Uplift’s Arts & Culture Fund, to Premiere at SF DOCFEST
Mahwash: A Documentary Film, directed by Sam Javadi and supported by Uplift’s Arts & Culture Fund, follows the remarkable journey of Ustad Mahwash—Afghanistan’s first female maestro and a pioneering voice in Afghan music. Her story transcends borders and celebrates the strength of the human spirit.
With the encouragement of her husband, Farooq, Ustad Mahwash rose to fame despite immense cultural barriers. When fate took an unexpected turn and the Taliban seized control, threatening her dream with a ban on music and limitations on women’s activities, Ustad Mahwash endured. Through intimate performances and unwavering resilience, she kept her music alive. Her final performance in Washington, D.C. stands as an act of resistance, a tribute to her homeland, and a testament to music’s enduring cultural power. Her voice, once exiled, becomes immortal.
Uplift’s Arts & Culture Fund exists to document, preserve, and share artistic and cultural practices like Ustad Mahwash’s—amplifying voices that humanize and enrich the global conversation about Afghanistan beyond narratives of war. To support Afghan artists, we provide resources and platforms for them to tell their own stories, preserve traditional and contemporary art forms, and participate in changing the narrative around Afghanistan in the public consciousness. Each project we support moves us closer to that goal.
The film premieres online May 29 and in theaters on June 1 at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco as part of DOCFEST.
Visit the film’s official website here: https://mahwashdoc.com/
📩 Afghan artists: We invite you to collaborate. Join our growing network and explore partnership opportunities by reaching out to arts@upliftafghanistan.org to access our Artist Interest Form.
