_Women and War_: Director Meena Nanji Needs Your Support

[Yoshie Furuhashi <furuhashi.1@xxxxxxx>]

Meena Nanji's work in progress, _Women and War_ (a documentary film
on Afghan women), at <http://www.womenandwar.com/> or
<http://www.womenandwar.com/WW_page01.html>.

Synopsis (at <http://www.womenandwar.com/WW_page02.html>):

WOMEN AND WAR is a documentary film that will follow the stories of
three extraordinary Afghan women who are actively resisting their
oppression. The film profiles a teacher forced into prostitution, a
poet/activist, and a female doctor, all of whom have been widowed by
past wars and are once again facing further destruction. Their lives
have been very directly affected by the geopolitical gamings that
were and still are being played out in their land. While facing the
day-to-day challenges of putting together the shattered pieces of
their lives, they are also organizing to rebuild, restructure and
educate for their future. They are teaching children, providing
medical help and training, and caring for orphans, simple tasks but
performed in utmost secrecy and at the risk of their lives.

The film will take the viewer into the back alleys of war, into the
private places where the women nurture hope and work actively to make
dreams of peace a reality. Amidst the terror and death, there are
extraordinary spaces where lives are being inspired and rebuilt.
WOMEN AND WAR will give an intimate and complex portrayal of these
women and their heroic struggle for self-determination and survival,
exposing the connection between their personal stories and the global
events that affect them.

Too often, the public debate of the Sept. 11th attacks and their
aftermath have been polarized into "us" vs. "them," between good and
evil, the West/modernity and the Middle East/medieval regimes. This
film dares listen to the women, who speak beyond polar opposites and
politics, in a worldwide cry for human rights and democracy.

With Afghan women central to the story, WOMEN AND WAR offers a
wrenchingly powerful portrayal of women who are, against all odds,
taking the fate of their future into their own hands. As recent
events have made clear, it is a future that affects not only the
reconstruction of Afghanistan, but one in which we all have a stake.

Contacts:

_Women and War_ is a work in progress: There is a team of women in
Pakistan refugee camps now, shooting. We need your ideas, your
feedback, your [financial] support. Help us get the voices of Afghan
women heard!

To help Meena Nanji complete _Women and War_, send donations to DSG
PRODUCTIONS:

DSG PRODUCTIONS
10839 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232

For more info, e-mail Amie S. Williams at <amie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> or
Libby Horne at <libby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> or call (310) 202-8704.