This bitter and powerful documentary by Ilyas Yourish & Shahrokh Bikaran follows a Hazara family in central Afghanistan fighting for justice after their daughter’s suicide in Kabul.
The tragic story of Zahra Khawari, a student at the veterinary faculty of Kabul University, who took her life after her thesis was repeatedly rejected by her professor, shocked society. Zahra comes from the Hazara ethnicity, primarily residing deep in the mountains of central Afghanistan. The Hazaras are one of the most persecuted groups in Afghanistan. More than half of the Hazara people were massacred by the Afghan Amir, Abdul Rahman Khan, in the late 19th century when he tried to annex the autonomous Hazara region in today’s central Afghanistan. Since then, their persecution has occurred various times across previous decades, including by the Taliban. Zahra’s death, however, illustrates how social injustice and ethnic disparities in the educational system push a hard-working student to take her own life. In this mournful yet powerful documentary, Kamay, which premiered at Visions du Réel 2024 in Nyon, Switzerland, the filmmakers follow Zahra’s family over the course of six years to reconcile the official story of Zahra’s death while also responding to their pervasive fear of those in power.
Zahra’s parents would undertake a long journey of several days to Kabul and back in overcrowded vans to follow the case. The dangerous roads and the breathtaking beauty of the high peaks of the mountains combine with the sensitivity it displays to its case. Yet, the camera sometimes needs to be turned off to avoid run-ins with the authorities, creating cautious pacing, anxiety-inducing moments, and anger.
While Kamay takes us into a cruel world from which they seem unable to escape, it is also an intimate and wrenching account of loneliness and loss under the weight of trauma, narrated by Zahra’s sister, Freshta, who narrated this film. “O’dears, look at the road of the old sage Wali. Look at the beloved Zahra going bewildered… I am parting from my beloved Zahra… my beloved sister is no more…” The lyrical words allow you to observe the situation and her deepest feelings. An interesting level of intimacy is created as her voice guides us through various events ranging from depressing to inspiring. From the moment Zahra asked for “Kamay,” an ancient plant in the Hazaran region, for her thesis about animal nutrition to the day when she called and cried for no reason. Even if it is as difficult as it can be seeing the lives of Freshta (and her family) struggling for justice and being ravaged by discrimination and grief, it feels like the least we can do is to take a moment to listen to her voice.
Overall, Kamay is alternately bitter but never less than powerful and intimate, a riveting portrait of survival and justice. The film is produced by Kamay Film (Afghanistan), Clin d’oeil Films (Belgium) and is in co-production with ROW Pictures (Germany), Temps Noir (France), and Shelter Prod, with CAT&Docs handling its sales.
Discover our other favorite picks from Visions du Réel 2024.
We wish to bring to your attention significant allegations made by Shahrokh Bikaraan against his co-director, Ilyas Yourish, suggesting that Shahrokh Bikaraan is the sole true author of the film. Given the seriousness of these accusations, it seems important to report them and not turn a blind eye. However, Film Fest Report has no intention of taking sides in an unresolved controversy, is not involved in this conflict, and does not endorse either party, only the pursuit of truth, which we hope will be clarified soon.
