Film screening with Sahraa Karimi (Director), followed by Q&A and conversation moderated by Iftikhar Dadi, John H. Burris Professor of History of Art

The desire for freedom is basic to human nature all over the world. Obtaining a driver's license is becoming a key factor towards attaining personal freedom for Afghan women. However, is the Afghan society prepared for women behind the wheel? In Afghan Women Behind the Wheel, director Sahraa Karimi, born and raised in Kabul, follows several Afghan women trying to obtain a driving license. Through personal interviews, Karimi discovers the motivations and desires of these women, which are often shaped by their age, social status, and family backgrounds. She taps into their lives and dreams and discusses religion and family traditions with them to better understand their journey toward their personal freedom.

Sahraa Karimi is an independent film director and screenwriter from Afghanistan. On August 15, 2021, she was forced to leave Afghanistan due to the sudden and unexpected fall of Kabul and the return of the Taliban to power. Currently, she is a Visiting Professor at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematographia (Rome National Film School) in Rome, Italy.

She belongs to the second generation of Afghan migrants in Iran. When she was 17 years old, she immigrated to the Slovak Republic. In August 2012, she returned to Kabul and established her own Film Production Company, Kapila Multimedia House, to support Afghan independent filmmakers and artists. Karimi received her PhD In Cinema (Fiction Film Directing & Screenwriting) from the Academy of Music and Performing Arts, Film and TV Faculty in Bratislava, Slovakia (FTF-VSMU).

Presented in collaboration with the Ithaca City of Asylum. Cosponsored by the Department of Near Eastern Studies, the Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, the Department of Performing & Media Arts, and the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies. Financial support is provided by a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Tickets are free, and can be reserved beforehand through Cornell Cinema.