Past Event
Escaping Afghanistan: Two Girls’ 'Symphony of Courage'
FILM SCREENING
The documentary Symphony of Courage tells the story of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) and its brave founder, Dr. Ahmad Sarmast. Challenging the Taliban’s ban on secular music, Sarmast joined forces with famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma and others to evacuate his students, including the all-female orchestra Zohra, to Portugal. The film follows Farida and Zohra Ahmadi, two pre-teen girls and the last ANIM students to be evacuated from Afghanistan.
Join us for a special screening of Symphony of Courage followed by a conversation about the film and how Afghanistan’s musical heritage is being kept alive.
Photos courtesy the speakers.
The Commonwealth Club of California
110 The Embarcadero
Taube Family Auditorium
San Francisco, CA 94105
United States
Beth Mendelson
Documentary Filmmaker and Executive Producer at Voice of America; Director, Symphony of Courage
Pedro Perestrelo Pinto
Consul General of Portugal in San Francisco
Ahmad Sarmast
Founder and Director, Afghanistan National Institute of Music (participating via Zoom)
Janine Zacharia
Lecturer, Stanford Department of Communication; Former Jerusalem Bureau Chief, The Washington Post
