"OSAMA" Screening at Georgetown
University
Remarks by Ambassador Said T. Jawad
02/19/2004
First, I would like to thank President Jack DeGoia
and Dean Jane McCauliffe for once again partnering with our
Embassy and making this evening possible. And what better venue
than the Bunn Intercultural Center to bring this important cause
to light,
I would also like to thank United Artists and
MGM for allowing us to show this powerful film to such a large
audience,
And MPAA for their assistance with facilitating
this event (Mr. Valenti might be there).
Tonight, you will experience for an hour and a half what Afghan
women and children experienced for five long years under the
brutal Taliban regime.
The film “Osama” represents a look
into Afghanistan’s dark past and the struggles of millions
of people who suffered under the Taliban. It poignantly illustrates
how Afghans were victimized by terrorists and the Taliban. The
heartbreaking crimes committed against women and children that
are portrayed in this movie have nothing to do with culture
or religion. In fact, one of the first atrocities committed
by terrorists was the destruction of Afghan culture and national
identity. This film projects hope for the revival of Afghanistan’s
rich cultural and artistic traditions.
Having been the first film produced and shot on
location in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over in 1996,
“Osama” has received international recognition.
The film earned the Camera d’Or Special Mention for Best
First Feature at Cannes last year, Best First Feature at the
London Film Festival, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign
Film.
“Osama” is based on the true story
of a young Afghan girl who was forced to disguise herself as
a boy to find a job and help earn money for her family. In one
moving scene, life becomes so unbearable for the women that
they wished God had never created women at all.
Today, Afghan women are proud to be the main force
behind rebuilding the country. The women who two years ago seemed
so helpless; two months ago were actively debating the future
of Afghanistan at the Constitutional Loya Jirga. The end result
was the adoption of a Constitution that enshrines equal rights
for women and men, and mandates that at least 25 percent of
parliamentary seats must be held by women.
Afghan girls once again have the right to an education.
Close to half of the 4 million children currently enrolled in
school are girls. However, women still face many challenges.
Afghanistan needs continued support and sustained engagement
by the international community to overcome these challenges
and afford women all the opportunities they so richly deserve.
This emotionally evocative film is directed by
Siddik Barmak, an Afghan who dreamed of making films since the
age of five when he saw “Lawrence of Arabia” at
a Kabul theatre. He grew up in Afghanistan, but was forced to
leave his country many times. The Taliban ransacked his house
and destroyed his most precious possession: an old 8 mm camera.
Many dreams are coming true in today’s Afghanistan. Armed
with only a small budget and donated equipment, Mr. Barmak managed
to complete this powerful film.
The actors in the film are real. They experienced
first-hand, the pain and hardships that they portray on screen.
Marina Golbahari, the young star who delivers an amazing performance,
was a street beggar in Kabul when Mr. Barmak saw her and was
captured by her haunting eyes.
Her life has changed now. In a recent interview,
the once sad, illiterate and shy Marina had blossomed into a
self-confident, happy teenager with dreams of making movies
and world travel, and above all education. She is a symbol of
her generation in Afghanistan. There are millions of girls like
her in today’s Afghanistan that are leaving the nightmares
of the war and violence behind them and staring a bright journey
full of dream into a peaceful and prosperous future.
Together, we have to make sure that their dreams
and visions are realized and no Afghan girl, no human being,
would ever have to suffer the agony that she went through.
Thank you.
And now Arzo Mansury from our Embassy will read
a prepared statement from the visionary director of the film,
Mr. Seddiq Barmak.
