Keeping the Music Alive ( S.E.Younsi/M.Gahlot) France, Singapore |

Keeping the Music Alive
Sarah E. Younsi/Mandakini Gahlot
France, Singapore. 2023. 77 min

Zohra, Afghanistan’s award-winning first all-female orchestra, has captivated audiences around the world with its musical talent. However, the return of the Taliban, with its rigid and damaging views on women and music, now puts the ensemble in grave danger. With the fall of Kabul, members still in the country have gone into hiding, while those who fled are advocating internationally to rescue their fellow musicians. The question remains: despite the challenges, will they be able to keep their music alive?

SARAH EL YOUNSI

After studying cinema and geography at the Sorbonne University in Paris, Sarah El Younsi works as a journalist and documentary filmmaker for French TV channels (M6, France 5). In her work, she is interested in the environment and people. As an assistant director, on the film WOMAN, directed by the acclaimed French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Anastasia Mikova, she interviewed hundreds of women around the world. Sarah met with members of the National Music Institute of Afghanistan in Kabul in 2015. She began filming the Zohra ensemble in 2017. Telling stories that give a little hope is Sarah’s mantra.

MANDAKINI GAHLOT

Mandakini Gahlot is an award-winning investigative journalist and filmmaker based in New Delhi. Her work has appeared on Al Jazeera, Arte, Canal+, France 24, GlobalPost, USA Today, Washington Post, Globe and Mail, and Deutsche Welle. She has directed several documentary films on subjects such as the rise of nationalism in the Indian subcontinent, the nuclear arms race between India, Pakistan, and China, the environmental crisis in India, and honor killings in the subcontinent. She has also directed a documentary film titled “The Buyers Club” on global restrictions concerning life-saving medicines.