
And Still I Sing
Season 8 Episode 1 | 1h 24m 7sVideo has Closed Captions
An Afghan pop star and two Afghan Star hopefuls see their lives upended after the Taliban’s return.
Afghan pop star Aryana Sayeed mentors two young women competing on Afghan Star, until their lives are upended when the Taliban returns. As women’s rights collapse, they must escape Kabul and find safety in exile.
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Funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation.

And Still I Sing
Season 8 Episode 1 | 1h 24m 7sVideo has Closed Captions
Afghan pop star Aryana Sayeed mentors two young women competing on Afghan Star, until their lives are upended when the Taliban returns. As women’s rights collapse, they must escape Kabul and find safety in exile.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship♪ ♪ MULLAH (speaking Farsi): (applause) ZAHRA ELHAM (speaking Farsi): (cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ SADIQA MADADGAR (speaking Farsi): ELHAM: ANDIA WINSLOW: "And Still I Sing," on DocWorld.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (car horns honking) (bicycle bell ringing) ♪ ♪ (din of city) (playing harmonium) BOTH (singing): (sighs) (sighs) ♪ ♪ (pounding) MADADGAR: ♪ ♪ (audience cheering, applauding) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) MUSTAFA AZIZYAR (speaking Farsi): (cheers and applause) (cheers and applause) (speaking Farsi): (cheers and applause) MIR MAFTOON (speaking Farsi): (cheers and applause) (distant dogs barking) ELHAM: MADADGAR: ELHAM: Mm... MADADGAR: ELHAM: ♪ ♪ ELHAM: AZIZYAR: (cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) SAYEED: (Elham replying in Farsi) (cheers and applause) ELHAM: - Yes!
(cheers and applause) (laughter, indistinct chatter) MAFTOON: (cheers and applause) (laughs) (explosions echoing) ♪ ♪ (distant bombs bursting) (man speaking indistinctly) SAYEED: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (speaking Farsi): (applause) HASIBA ATAKPAL: SAYEED: (Sayeed singing) (voiceover): SAMIR RASSOLY (speaking Farsi): (crowd cheering) MULLAH 1 (speaking Farsi): MULLAH 2 (speaking Farsi): (music pumping, crowd cheering) SAYEED (voiceover): (flames crackling) (strumming guitar) (tapping drums) (door opening) SAYEED: MADADGAR: (Sayeed greeting in Farsi, chuckles) ♪ ♪ (Sayeed laughs) (men chatting in Farsi) MADADGAR: MADADGAR (voiceover): SAYEED: HASIB SAYED (speaking Farsi): SAYEED: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (car horns honking) (honking continues) ♪ ♪ SAYEED (laughing): I love it.
(indistinct traffic) (upbeat chatter) (pins fall, Madadgar laughs) (both laughing, chatting indistinctly) MADADGAR (voiceover): (Madadgar exclaiming happily) (clapping) - (laughs) ELHAM (voiceover): (Elham shrieks) MADADGAR (voiceover): (clapping, pins falling) MADADGAR: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ SAYEED: Wow.
(speaking Farsi): SAYEED: AHMAD RESHAD (speaking Farsi): SAYEED: (speaking Farsi): I love it.
(speaking Farsi): - Okay.
(voiceover in Farsi): (crowd cheering, whistling) (crowd clapping to beat) (crowd cheering) (voiceover): (song continues) MADADGAR (voiceover): FREBA (speaking Farsi): (laughter) MADADGAR: ELHAM: (laughter) (laughter) ♪ ♪ MADADGAR (voiceover): (distant car horns honking) ♪ ♪ SAYEED: (audience cheering) AZIZYAR: (cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ (both singing in unison) (holds note) Hey!
(cheers and applause) I loved it!
MAFTOON: Wow!
(cheers and applause) AZIZYAR: (women shouting in audience) (applause, whistling) (applause) (cheers and applause) (theme song playing) (audience reacts) (audience whistling, whooping) (cheers and applause) MADADGAR: (cheers and applause) SAYEED: (Sayeed and Madadgar talking) (cheers and applause continues) MADADGAR: (Elham sobs) (voice breaking): (Elham sobs) (sniffling) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (gunshot fires) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ SAYEED: ♪ ♪ BASIR HAMIDY: HAMIDY: (Sayeed and Sayed murmuring) (laughs) (indistinct chatter) MADADGAR: BOYS: MADADGAR: (speaking Farsi) (voiceover): (camera app clicks) (to soldiers): MADADGAR: SOLDIER: AUDIENCE: MADADGAR: AUDIENCE: (applause) (music playing on phone) WARLORD (in video): MADADGAR (voiceover): (siren wailing) (elevator chimes) MADADGAR: ELHAM: ELHAM (voiceover): (quiet breathing) ♪ ♪ (Madadgar speaks Farsi) ♪ ♪ SHOW DIRECTOR: (cheers and applause) (whistling, cheers and applause) (audience clapping, exclaiming) (whistling and applause) (whistling and applause) (shouting, smattered applause) (cheers and applause) (whistles, cheers and applause) (Madadgar crying, show continuing onstage) (Azizyar announces winner, audience applauds) (sobbing) (boxing gloves thudding punching bag) ♪ ♪ ELHAM: (singing in Pashto) ELHAM (voiceover in Farsi): (Saida Gul Maina singing in Pashto) (singing in Pashto): ELHAM (voiceover in Farsi): AUDIENCE (chanting): ♪ ♪ AHMAD JAWED (speaking Farsi): JAWED: MADADGAR: JAWED: MADADGAR: JAWED: MADADGAR (voiceover): JAWED: MADADGAR: JAWED: (clicks tongue) JAWED: MADADGAR: JAWED: JAWED: MADADGAR: ♪ ♪ SAYEED: (dog groans) (Aryana speaking to dog) (makes kissy noises) Hi.
(laughing) (voiceover): (music playing) (Homa singing in Pashto) (applause) (singing continues on TV) ♪ ♪ SAYED: SAYEED: ♪ ♪ (musicians playing same song in studio) SAYEED (singing in Pashto): ♪ ♪ (song playing on recording) ELHAM: MADADGAR: ELHAM: (song playing on radio) (chuckling) (song on radio continues) ♪ ♪ SAYEED: SAYEED: ELHAM: Don't worry.
Okay?
(laughing) ELHAM (voiceover): (music playing, people chatting) (man vocalizing) (Elham vocalizing) ♪ ♪ WASIM ANWARI (singing in Farsi): (singing in unison): ♪ ♪ ANWARI: (singing in unison): (Elham and Anwari singing in unison) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) AZIZYAR: AUDIENCE (chanting): (crowd cheering, bells chiming) AZIZYAR: (exclaims) (crowd cheering, whistling) MADADGAR: MADADGAR: AZIZYAR: (cheers and applause) (audience shouting) (screaming, cheering) ♪ ♪ (screaming, cheering) AZIZYAR: (laughter, applause, whistling) AZIZYAR: SAYEED: I was praying the whole time for Zahra to win.
I voted for her secretly.
(laughs) So, I'm-- I'm so happy.
Really.
I'm, I'm really excited right now.
I don't know what to say.
(in Farsi): This is change.
This is change in Afghanistan, and I am so happy.
(gasping) MADADGAR: ELHAM: (laughs) ANWARI'S FATHER (shouting): DIRECTOR (over speakers): ANWARI: DIRECTOR: - (Madadgar speaking Farsi) - Don't worry.
It's okay.
SAYED: (Sayed laughing) ♪ ♪ (sirens in distance, car horns honking) (camera shutters clicking) (in Pashto): SAYEED (in Farsi): (camera shutter clicks) (camera shutter clicks) ♪ ♪ SAYEED (voiceover): SAYED: I have moved everything on that side of the castle.
- Okay.
So the firework will actually come up above here.
Let me show you that.
We tested a couple of things.
(firework explodes on video) This is it.
- Yeah.
SAYED: So, we want this to be like the crown of the palace.
- Yeah.
We can have a... we can have a drone all the way like, um... - Exactly.
Exactly.
- 400 meters away looking above... SAYED (voiceover in Farsi): ♪ ♪ Um... ♪ ♪ ELHAM: (whistling, cheers and applause) (chatting indistinctly) (woman singing) (woman speaking in Farsi) (laughing) (applause) CONCERT HOST: (cheers and applause) ELHAM: (whistling, shouting) (Elham singing in Farsi) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ (song ends, cheers and applause) (Elham speaks to audience) (car horns honking) (Madadgar humming to herself) MADADGAR: ELHAM: MADADGAR: ELHAM: MADADGAR: ELHAM: MADADGAR: MADADGAR: ELHAM: ELHAM: MADADGAR: ELHAM: ELHAM: MADADGAR: (Elham laughs) MADADGAR: NEWS ANCHOR: MOHAMMAD NAEEM WARDAK (on TV): NEWS ANCHOR: WARDAK: (ambulance siren wailing) (car horn honking) JOHN MASTRINI: At least 63 people were killed, including children, when suicide bombers struck inside this wedding hall in Afghanistan's capital Kabul.
The guests were predominantly from the Hazara Shia Muslim minority.
It was the deadliest attack in Kabul this year.
The attack cast a shadow over celebrations to mark Afghanistan's 100th anniversary of full independence from British rule.
TOLO TV REPORTER: MAN (on TV, crying): (family crying, wailing on TV) MADADGAR: ♪ ♪ SAYED: (helicopter blades whirring) Um... (sighs) (sniffles) (sobbing) SAYEED: (voice trembling): (people on street chatting) SAYEED (voiceover): (people chatting indistinctly) (singing in Pashto): (recording of song with Sayeed and instruments playing) ♪ ♪ MADADGAR: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (crowd screaming) (gunshots firing, sirens wailing) (gunshots firing, people screaming) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (people screaming, sirens wailing) SAYEED: (gunshots firing) (car horns honking) ♪ ♪ (people calling out) ♪ ♪ (explosion outside bursts) (gunshots firing, people screaming) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (clicks tongue) This is, uh, Herat.
Apparently, this young man, he was listening to music.
SAYEED (quietly): Oh, my God.
And they are dragging him on the street?
No, they are, they are beating him up.
(gasps) Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
If they caught us like that, they would have shot us.
Right away.
- Yeah, I mean, this, this poor guy, he was listening to music.
- Exactly.
They, they probably would have first put you in front of a camera, and maybe gotten you to, I don't know, speak positively of Taliban.
- Honestly, it's like a nightmare that I'm just not able to wake up from.
Unbelievable.
♪ ♪ SAYEED (voiceover): ♪ ♪ (Sayeed singing) (singing continues) (din of the street) (taxi driver replies) ELHAM (voiceover): ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (motorcycles puttering) (harmonium clicks open) (harmonium playing) (singing): (protestors chanting) (protest leader shouting) WOMAN PROTESTOR (through speaker): (protestors repeating): (leading call and response): (rockets firing) MADADGAR: (breath catching) (rockets firing continues) (rockets firing in distance) (explosions popping in distance) (rockets exploding in distance) (sighs) (crying) (distant gunshots and explosions popping) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: S8 Ep1 | 30s | An Afghan pop star and two Afghan Star hopefuls see their lives upended after the Taliban’s return. (30s)
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipSupport for PBS provided by:
Funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation.