LOLA by Anisa Sabiri

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Dear Contributors,

Thank you so much for your generous support over the years. Because of you I was able to create my first short film 'The Crying of Tanbur' as well as my first documentary 'The Rhythms of Lost Time'. I am proud to say that both these films have been successful and were showcased at film festivals around the world, including the A-list Busan International Film Festival, and won many awards.

As a result of that success, I was awarded the highly competitive British-funded Chevening Scholarship to undertake the Screenwriting MA at the prestigious London Film School, from which I graduated with the ‘Outstanding Screenwriter Award’ in 2021. My graduation project got the attention of an award-winning producer Luke Schiller, who offered me to develop my first feature film. As a result of that collaboration, we’ve come up with an original feature screenplay, ‘LOLA’ - a female-driven drama set in pre-war Tajikistan. The film features Lola's attempts to build the life of an emancipated woman in the capital. However, when her long-lost husband returns from the Afghan war, he pushes Lola to go back to the village they come from. But the collapse of the Soviet Union is imminent, and Lola is faced with a life-defining choice.

I developed Lola as a very timely response to the worsening freedom the women are facing, especially in patriarchal countries. Since August 2021, when the Taliban took control of neighboring Afghanistan, there has been an enormous deterioration in the recognition and protection of the rights of women and girls in the region. In my response, in 'LOLA', I am featuring a strong female character - capable of resisting the conservative society despite all the social challenges and even the country's collapse.

I believe that together with a British producer Luke Schiller, and your generous support, 'LOLA' can set up a great example to encourage other emerging voices, including female directors, show the alternative way of funding films, and inspire a new generation of women across the world.

Anisa Sabiri

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Photos of Anisa On Set