Santa Barbara filmfest to screen ‘The Forbidden Strings’

The 36th Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) in the US has scheduled to screen ‘The Forbidden Strings’, a documentary from Iran, Afghanistan, and Qatar.

Directed by Hassan Nouri and produced by Afsaneh Salari, the 92-minute film will compete at the Documentary Competition section of the US event.

‘The Forbidden Strings’ tells the story of four young Afghans who have been making music together for years, despite the disapproval of the people around them.

Akbar, Soori, Mohammed and Hakim, the children of some Afghan parents who fled to Iran in the 1980s, have formed a rock band.

Despite the danger they will face, they dream of performing in Afghanistan. They travel on a perilous route to get there and realize what they are up against soon after arriving.

Clearly, Afghanistan is still a very dangerous place. Moments of joy are infectious, and sobering reality is always lurking as four young people break with tradition to express themselves.

‘The Forbidden Strings’ went on screen at a number of global events, including the Cinema Verite in Iran, the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin in Germany, and the One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival in the Czech Republic.

The SBIFF is a venue for independent films to be showcased and a chance for filmmakers to educate themselves, as the event offers many free educational programs.

The 36th edition of the event is slated for March 31-April 10, 2021.

Read more:

Berlin Human Rights filmfest to host ‘The Forbidden Strings’

Czech filmfest to host Iranian-Afghan ‘The Forbidden Strings’

MG/AG