‘We can’t all leave’

By NUPUR BASU

Sima’s Song spotlights the human drama of the friendship between two women of opposing ideologies in war-torn Afghanistan… A story of an evening with director Roya Sadat who spoke to a Delhi audience just as her film won a major Canadian film award.

Roya Sadat Afghan Filmmaker directing her actors in exile for Sima’s Song

The October chill was just setting in and as the evening turned to night, the audience eagerly waited to view celebrated award-winning Afghan woman Director, Roya Sadat’s latest film Sima’s Song in Delhi’s Max Mueller Bhavan. Roya, like many women filmmakers, journalists and activists in Afghanistan now lives in exile in the West and made this film in 2024 while in exile. Sima’s Song begins after the Taliban have taken control of Kabul city. It zeroes in on a protest demonstration on the streets by Afghan women and the Taliban forces using force and trying to disperse them.


Cut to the interior of a home in Kabul. An elderly Suraya tells her granddaughter about her friend, Sima, a singer. The grandmother recalls the Cold War which was about to break out in Afghanistan in the late ’70s, and how she and her friend Sima got caught in the opposing ends of the conflict.

Suraya is played by award winning actor Mozhdah Jamalzadah, an Afghan Canadian singer, actress, model, and activist known for championing women‘s rights in Afghanistan. Raised in Vancouver after fleeing Kabul during the Afghan civil war, she gained fame with her song ‘Sher Bacha e Afghani’. Niloufar Koukhani who plays Sima in the film is a renowned Iranian actor best known for her roles in popular TV serials in Iran such as Viper of Tehran (2024), a TV series. Sadat has extracted powerful performances from both the lead characters.

Flash back to 1979, Kabul. Suraya and Sima are in the prime of their youth. Despite the difference in their social status – Suraya is the daughter of a top Communist leader in Afghanistan and Sima is the daughter of the domestic help in their house – both women are soul sisters. Suraya studies politics and Sima music at the university of Kabul. But the country’s unstable political landscape is soon about to cause deep chasms between them.

Suraya takes on a political mantle after her father’s assassination and Sima succumbs to pressure from her father to marry and follow tradition. The tension threatens to rip apart their relationship but better sense prevails and they decide to accept differences and save their bond. Suraya puts aside her annoyance that her friend is marrying early and gets her bridal dress ready. After all they do share the same conviction to women‘s right to education and art.

Read more: ‘We can’t all leave’

On the Nomination of Frenchie Mae Cumpio for the 2025 RSF Courage Prize

We at the International Association of Women in Radio and Television congratulate our fellow woman journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio of Eastern Vista for her nomination for the 2025 Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Courage Prize.

We thank RSF for nominating our detained colleague from the Philippines. This recognition highlights the bravery that Frenchie Mae has demonstrated as a community journalist before she was unjustly arrested in February 2020. 

As a coordinator of IAWRT’s Radyo Tacloban, a radio anchor for Lingganay Han Kamatuoran, and correspondent of Altermidya in Eastern Visayas, Frenchie fearlessly reported on critical issues affecting marginalized communities.

Even in detention, Frenchie Mae has exemplified the determination of Filipino journalists. Despite facing fabricated charges and prolonged detention, Frenchie Mae’s courage persists – campaigning against the continued harassment of state forces and mistreatment of prison authorities.

Frenchie’s case has drawn international attention, including that of UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression Irene Khan. Over 250 journalists worldwide called for her immediate release, including Nobel prize winner Maria Ressa, among others.

We at IAWRT recognize the crucial role of women journalists in upholding press freedom and human rights. Frenchie Mae’s courage and dedication serve as an inspiration to all of us. We stand in solidarity with her as we persist in our call for Frenchie’s immediate release and dismissal of all charges against her.

Her nomination for the RSF Courage Prize is a testament to the collective struggle for press freedom and justice. We call on the Philippine government to heed the calls of the international community and ensure that Frenchie Mae Cumpio is freed and allowed to continue her vital work as independent journalist.

Reference: 1. Rhea Padilla, IAWRT coordinator for Frenchie Mae’s campaign

Mobile: +639277609606 / [email protected]

2. Sheila Katzman, IAWRT USA Head

Mobile: +1 (347) 9897964/[email protected]

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