Neswani

When the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, an Iranian filmmaker crossed the Iran-Afghanistan border, officially claiming to meet with provincial governors. In reality, his mission was much riskier: to document the lives of Afghan women under the new regime.

Traveling through cities and villages closely monitored by the Taliban, the filmmaker met with brave and inspiring women who agreed to share their stories. Through their eyes, the documentary shows how daily life has changed, highlighting both the challenges and the hopes of Afghan women as they reflect on the past, confront the present, and imagine the future.

The film introduces a teacher and a sports coach continuing to educate and inspire girls despite new bans, a medical practitioner caring for children with almost no official support, and a journalist who refuses to be silenced. We also meet a sculptor and two models forced to hide their art, and a former parliamentarian living in constant danger.

To protect the women and himself, the filmmaker arranged secret meetings, always at great personal risk. Exposure could mean fatal consequences for them all.

Filmed in secret using handheld and hidden cameras, Neswani brings viewers into moments of tense intimacy and quiet resistance. The visual approach combines raw, on-the-ground footage with poetic glimpses of daily survival, creating an atmosphere of urgency and hope in equal measure.

After returning to Iran, the filmmaker maintained contact with these women online. Over the next four years, their paths diverged: some managed to stay, but most were forced to leave Afghanistan in search of safety and freedom. In 2025, they reflect on how their lives have changed, whether they were able to continue their work, and how they adapted to exile or life under the Taliban.

By weaving together stories collected both in person and virtually, Neswani offers an intimate, nuanced portrait of Afghan women’s resistance, resilience, and humanity under Taliban rule. It celebrates their courage and paints a vivid picture of the ongoing struggle for dignity and freedom.