Oscar nomination for Oldenburg's Afghan Festival entry "Three Songs for Benazir"

When the Academy Awards are presented on Sunday, March 28, there will be an entry from last year's Oldenburg Film Festival, which, as an initial outsider, is now leading some of the popular "Oscar Predictions" lists as a favorite. "Three Songs for Benazir" was nominated for Best Documentary Short Film, marking the first Oscar nomination for an Afghan filmmaker. Filmed in a refugee camp in Kabul, filmmakers Elizabeth and Gulistan Mirzaei document the story of their young friend Shaista, whose dream of becoming the first of his tribe to join the Western-backed Afghan National Army is accompanied by doubts and fears of the danger should his country fall to the Taliban. After its European premiere in September 2021 in Oldenburg - just two weeks after the last flight of the US military left Kabul and this danger became real - the film's journey to the Oscars began via several other festivals and a sale to the streaming giant Netflix, where the film is now available to the world.

"I am honored to be the first Afghan director to be nominated for an Oscar in the Documentary category. I made "Three Songs for Benazir" for my country and for my people . Sharing the world I know and love, a world most people have never seen or even heard of. It is one of the greatest honors of my life to represent my beautiful country at the Oscars for the first time. I am grateful for our entire team and for everyone who has supportetd me on this long journey. I hope it inspires others to try what's possible." - Gulistan Mirzaei

We are proud to have been a part of this wonderful journey!