Circus Under the Eyes of the Taliban

ongoing

In Kabul, the dusty, sand-colored capital of Afghanistan, there is a small oasis of colorful containers stacked on top of each other. Here, young children are juggling, doing cartwheels, and playing with jump ropes - activities that are otherwise, according to Taliban legislation, prohibited for all girls over the age of 14. This is where we meet Zahra and Zalgai. The two have a lot in common; they have grown up next to each other in the same IDP camp for internally displaced refugees in Kabul, and they share the same passion for the local circus for children. But within the next year, their lives will change radically, and they will have to walk completely different paths. As a girl and a boy respectively, a very different future awaits each of them when they enter the ranks of adulthood. The story, told from the children's perspective, gives a unique and intimate insight into the lives of children in Afghanistan, especially in the otherwise closed world of girls and women in the country. The film is directed by Camille Bildsøe and produced by Sofie Husum Johannesen at Copenhagen-based Elk Development ApS. The film is developed in close collaboration with the local team in Afghanistan consisting of co-writer and translator Sahar Shabdes Ahmadi and line producer Ateequllah Masood. The project is co-produced by Norwegian Fuuse and Icelandic Akkeri Films, with support from The Danish Film Institute, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, Politiken-Fonden, Creative Europe MEDIA, and more. The film is planned to be finished and premiere in late 2025.