By: Heidi Kwok, Staff Writer

On October 7 and 10, Canadian Afghan filmmaker and SFU communication alum Brishkay Ahmed’s new feature documentary, In the Room, had its world premiere at the 44th Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). Produced by Teri Snelgrove, the film follows Ahmed’s complicated relationship with her Afghan identity. In addition to celebrating the efforts of these women in their fight for equality and freedom, the film also serves as a cautionary tale in an era when women’s rights are being eroded. 

By conducting such conversations within intimate settings — a dressing room, a moon-lit space overlooking the cityscape at night, a radio broadcasting studio, and more — Ahmed veers away from the rigid format of a traditional interview, instead opting to engage with her subjects as though they were old friends. In this sense, the film’s title feels aptly named. 

Each of the women featured in this film inspired Ahmed throughout her life and career, in some shape or form. They included: Nelofer Pazira-Fisk, an Afghan-Canadian journalist and filmmaker; Vida Samadzai, a Miss Afghanistan beauty pageant contestant and former Afghan actress; Mozhdah Jamalzadah, an activist and media personality; and Shogofa Sediqi, the former news director of Zan TV, Afghanistan’s first all-women’s television network.

The conversations Ahmed shared with these women were candid and unguarded, delving into difficult socio-political topics by uncovering layers of trauma and exploring their shared, ongoing struggle for women’s rights under patriarchal oppression as well as violence from the Taliban. 

Through a unique blend of cinematography and subliminal messaging, the viewer is immersed in the tumultuous journey of these women. Moreover, by incorporating the use of archaic technology (such as carousel slide projectors and vintage radio receivers) into the storytelling, the film comments on the regression of free speech; figuratively contrasting the growth of press freedom between 2001 and 2021, with its abrupt demise following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. The retraction of freedom of expression was devastating to Afghan journalists, particularly women who had spent years building their journalism careers just to witness their achievements destroyed in the blink of an eye.

In the Room is a brilliant and touching film — an emotional rollercoaster that I will remember for many years to come.