Writing Hawa

Filmed over five years, Writing Hawa is the story of three generations of Hazara women from the same family in Afghanistan.

With unique access, director Najiba Noori films her mother Hawa and her niece Zahra in their aspirations to emancipate themselves from patriarchal traditions.

Forced into marriage as a child, Hawa is already 52 years old when she can truly start learning to read and write. With the support of her daughter, she opens a small textile business. However, the takeover by the Taliban in August 2021 turns the lives of the family upside down. 

The screening will be followed by a roundtable discussion with members of the Afghan Visual Arts and History (AVAH) collective. 

Part of the Afghanistan Reframed screening day. 

About Afghanistan Reframed 

Bringing together rarely seen films from Afghanistan’s cinematic archive with contemporary works, this festival explores the country through the eyes of its filmmakers at home and across the diaspora.