Wajma, an Afghan Love Story

In the midst of snow-covered Kabul, a young student begins a passionate but secret relationship with a charming waiter. Their budding love is constantly overshadowed by social norms and family expectations. When she becomes pregnant unintentionally, her lover refuses to take responsibility, and she is confronted with the harsh reality of patriarchal structures. Rumors spread quickly, and soon her father finds out. Torn between his love for his daughter and social pressure to uphold the family honor, he chooses violence. Wajma is left alone, without protection or prospects, in a society where honor is placed above humanity. WAJMA by Barmak Akram is a powerful drama about female autonomy in a patriarchal society. The film not only shows the brutality of family and cultural constraints, but also the inner conflict of a father torn between tradition and compassion. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Screenwriting Award in the World Cinema Dramatic section. It was also submitted as Afghanistan's entry for the Foreign Language Oscar and has been shown at other international festivals such as Busan and Stockholm.

Keywords

  • Award Winning
  • Gender
  • Storyline: Daughters
  • family
  • politics
  • relationship
  • women

Actors

  • Breshna Bahar
  • Wajma Bahar
  • Mustafa Abdulsatar
  • Haji Gul

Director

  • Barmak Akram

Drama


1h 20min


16

FA


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IT

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EN

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PL

Afghanistan
2013
After a passionate romance, an Afghan student must face patriarchal power structures alone.

After a passionate romance, an Afghan student must face patriarchal power structures alone.


In the midst of snow-covered Kabul, a young student begins a passionate but secret relationship with a charming waiter. Their budding love is constantly overshadowed by social norms and family expectations. When she becomes pregnant unintentionally, her lover refuses to take responsibility, and she is confronted with the harsh reality of patriarchal structures.


Rumors spread quickly, and soon her father finds out. Torn between his love for his daughter and social pressure to uphold the family honor, he chooses violence. Wajma is left alone, without protection or prospects, in a society where honor is placed above humanity.


WAJMA by Barmak Akram is a powerful drama about female autonomy in a patriarchal society. The film not only shows the brutality of family and cultural constraints, but also the inner conflict of a father torn between tradition and compassion.


The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Screenwriting Award in the World Cinema Dramatic section. It was also submitted as Afghanistan's entry for the Foreign Language Oscar and has been shown at other international festivals such as Busan and Stockholm.

Festivals

Cast & Crew