Profiles of speakers

FROM AFGANISTAN:

Shukria Barakzai is founder and editor of Aina-E-Zan [Women’s Mirror], a newspaper for Afghan women established in 2002. She was named Worldpress.org’s 2004 International Editor of the Year. Shukria was selected as prominent member of the Special Review Commission set up to oversee the new Constitution of Afghanistan.  In 2005 she was voted one of 91 female members of Parliament and a candidate for the post of the Speaker. She has been a strong advocate of women’s rights and education for girls and as such she is the president and founder of Asia Women Organization which is a local humanitarian and non-profit NGO. She is one of the few women in Afghanistan who has managed to raise women’s issues effectively through the media and is an authority on the subject of women in media in Afghanistan.

Siddiq Barmak, the celebrated film director of Afghanistan, was born in Panjshir in 1962. He received his Masters in cinema direction from the Moscow Film Institute (VGIK) in 1987. One year later, he returned to his country, where he directed short films and then headed Afghan Film from 1992 to 1996. Forced to flee when the Taliban came to power, he returned after their fall to resume his work. In Europe he is generally known for his feature film “Osama” which received UNESCO’s Fellini Silver Medal in June 2003. But what is less known about him is that Siddiq Barmak saved the entire archives of Afghanistan’s films from being set on fire by the Taliban. Leading a team of film makers, he hid the entire collection under the Afghan Film’s roof and blocked the Taliban from gaining access. His latest 2008 feature film, “Opium War”, is satirical and intended to make the Afghan people laugh again after more than 25 years of bloodshed. It is the story of the encounters of two American airmen with villagers in Afghanistan after their plane accidentally lands in a poppy field. “Opium War” will be screened at Khalili Lecture Theatre at 17:00 on Saturday 7 June with Siddiq Barmak available for questions.

Mohammad Faheem Dashty is a prominent journalist, the editor-in-chief of “Kabul Weekly” newspaper and a political analyst. Born in the Panjshir province of Afghanistan in 1973, Dashty studied political sciences in Kabul University. Fighting in his homeland forced him to move into exile in Iran in 1989. Because of his close relations to the Northern Alliance’s leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, Dashty’s documentaries on Massoud are now important historical documents. He was with Ahmad Shah Massoud when he was assassinated in northern Afghanistan two days before the September 11 Attacks. Dashty was working on a biography of the late commander and was himself severely injured in the attack. After a lengthy treatment in Paris, Faheem Dashty returned to Afghanistan and founded the “Kabul Weekly”, a tri-lingual weekly paper which has recently also become available on the web.

Aziz Hakimi was until recently the executive director of The Killid Group (TKG) – one of the most successful multi media, public information and distribution companies in Afghanistan which was set up soon after the downfall of the Taliban. Amongst the most successful products of the TKG are “Radio Killid FM”, the women’s magazine “Mursal”, and the news magazine “Killid Weekly”.  Moreover the TKG web site in English, Dari and Pashto is one of the most widely visited in Afghanistan. Prior to TKG, Aziz Hakimi worked in the Office of the Chief of Staff of President Karzai as a consultant on public policy affairs and at the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan as Human Rights Officer He is also an advisor to South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA).

Saad Mohseni presides over one of the most successful media outlets in post-Taliban Afghanistan.  Born in Afghanistan in 1966, but having lived most of his life in Australia, Saad returned to Kabul in 2002 along with his brothers Zaid and Jahid as well as his sister, Wajma Mohseni, to set up the Moby Group, which includes Arman Radio and later Tolo TV.  Both these outlets achieved immediate success due to their novel style of presentation generally based on citizen journalism.  Now Moby Group’s media outlets reach over 11 million people every day, representing some 70% of the total media audience in Afghanistan. Apart from its headquarters in Kabul, the Moby Media Group has 15 offices across Afghanistan while its regional business is conducted out of Dubai’s Media City.

FROM IRAN:

Parisa Bakhtavar is one of the most promising new generation film and television directors in Iran. She is famous for her television series, Posht-e Konkooriha, which followed the lives of high school seniors studying for their college entrance exams. Her first film, Dayere Zangi [Tambourine] is a comedy currently regarded as one of the most successful on screen in Iran. It is the story of a family torn between tradition and modernity in their everyday life and has received highly favorable press. It was received well when screened at the Fajr film festival in Iran. Dayere Zangi will be screened at 16:00 in Brunei Gallery on Sunday 8 June with Parisa available for comments and questions. The actors include Gohar Kheirandish, Mehran Modiri, Mohammadreza Sharifinia, Baran Kosari, and Bahareh Rahnama.

Houshang Golmakani, a distinguished Iranian film critic, is the chief editor of the highly accredited Film Monthly, for which some of the most celebrated Iranian film critics from different generations with different approaches to film write. Born in April 1954 in Gorgan, Iran, Houshang Golmakani graduated in cinema from the college of Dramatic Arts in Teheran. He started his career in 1972 as a journalist and film critic. He was one of the founders of Film Monthly in 1982 and was instrumental in turning it into one of the most influential Iranian film magazines.  He has translated some classic screenplays into Persian, such as “Paris Texas” and “Cinema Paradiso”. He is also the author of The Gentleman Actor, a book on the prominent Iranian actor, Ezatollah Entezami. In 1996 he made a film about the famous Iranian film director, Mohsen Makhmalbaf called:  “Stardust Stricken – Mohsen Makhmalbaf: A Portrait”.

Ali Akbar Montajabi belongs to the new generation of Iranian journalists whose blogs are frequently quoted by the international press. Born in Teheran in 1970, Montajabi began his journalist career at the age of 25 working in Zaman, part of Payam Emruz Publications.  His first article was in Sobh e Emruz [This Morning] and then Aftab e Emruz, both regarded in their time as influential reformist papers. Due to the mass closure of independent reformist newspapers in the recent period, journalists like Montajabi have had to keep moving from one newspaper to the next.  He has worked in 25, the last one being Ham-Miahn (Compatriot).  Now he is working in Shahrvan e Emruz [Today’s Citizen].

Kasra Nouri Shemirani is a notable journalist of the new media generation in Iran who has witnessed dramatic fluctuations in the media scene since after the Revolution.  At the age of 38 Kasra Nouri has 16 years of press experience behind him often working as a member of the editorial board of influential newspapers. He started his career in Sallam newspaper, regarded as one of the pioneering reform newspapers.  He then moved on to Sobh e Emruz, Zan, Aftab e Emruz, Mosharekat, Bahar, Dowran e Emruz, Nowruz, as these were closed down one after another.  During Mohammad Khatami’s presidency, Nouri was the editor of the official Iran newspaper and until recently the editor of the reformist newspaper Etemad e Melli [National Trust] for about one year before resigning and working as the advisor to its managing director.

Shadi Sadr is a well-known writer, journalist and lawyer devoted to the defense of women rights in Iran.  She created the first website dealing with legal issues relating to women, Zanan-e Iran. Running stories about the stoning of women to death, abortion and sexual abuse, the site confronts many of the issues relating to family laws, sexual inequality and Islamic injustice. The website also acts as a powerful pressure group. As a lawyer, Shadi Sadr uses the web site to educate women about their legal rights. Her introduction to journalism began at the age of 15 when she won a journalism contest by a youth magazine, Sorush-e-Nojavan (Youth Summons). In the US, on May 2004 she was awarded the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism.

Mehdi Jami is a multi media journalist, and blogger. He left Iran in 1996 to join the BBC World Service where he worked for over ten years as a multi-media producer on radio and BBC Persian Service’s web page. Prior to that Mehdi Jami taught at Kurdestan University and was a member of Islamic Encyclopaedia Centre in Teheran. In 2006 he was selected as the director to design and set up the Persian language Internet Radio Zamaneh in Amsterdam — this was a new style of Persian radio and the first of its type. Mehdi takes a keen interest in Central Asia and has made a documentary film on Falak music of Tajikisatn.  He has also published a literary history of ancient Iran (2001). His web log (Sibestaan – 2003) has been voted of the top 7 Persian blogs in 2006 and 2007.

FROM TAIJIKISTAN:

Umid Babakhanov is the chief director of Asia Plus, the successful independent media group in Tajikistan.  In 1996, soon after the civil war ended in Tajikistan, Babakhanov Umid single-handedly set up the first issue of the information and analytical bulletin in English and Russian. Asia Plus soon gained an international reputation as one of the most reliable and dynamic news agencies in Tajikistan.  In January 2000, the Media-Group Asia-Plus launched a weekly social and political newspaper “Asia-Plus”, followed by a TV production-studio for TV documentary film production. Asia Plus then launched the Independent School of Journalism “Tajikistan – 21st Century” in 2001. Probably its most successful product has been Radio “Asia-Plus” which began broadcasting in September 2002. The radio runs news bulletins in Tajik and Russian alternately on the hour, and plays music from all over the world.

Safarbek Soliev, a distinguished film maker, was born in Dushanbe in Tajikistan in 1959. In 1980 he graduated at the Philological faculty of Tajik State University, in 1992 he graduated in Advanced Courses at the Unit of Cinematographers in Moscow and in 2000 he graduated at the faculty of Jurisprudence of Kyrgyz State National University in Bishkek. Since 1980 he has produced and directed a long list of films and documentaries and won several prizes. His specialization is documentaries and feature films  which include “Jakon”, “Ashaglon”, “Kobus”, ” On the Land of the Heroes”, “In the Name of Ahuromazda”, “Charkhofalak”, and “Wedding Ring” which is a feature film. In one of his recent films, Calendar of Expectations, 2005, Safarbek Soliev explores the past, present, and future through the documentation of everyday life in an unnamed village. Soliev and his crew spent ten days shooting the film in the remote village of Dzhavchi, located in the Khakimi Gorge in the Nurabadskii region of Tajikistan. This is the birthplace of his mother and Soliev used his uncle’s house for many of the scenes.  “Calendar of Expectations” will be screened at 18:00 in Khalili Lecture Theatre on Friday 6 June with Safarbek Soliev available for questions.

Shahlo Akobirova is the director of “Khoma” Public Association which facilitates the sustainable development of electronic and printed Mass Media in Tajikistan. The Association brings together journalists and producers in the independent media, especially the TV and electronic media, to discuss important issues of the day, analysing the latest developments in the media scene in Tajikistan and the region.  Shahlo Akobirova has been a pioneer in designing means of training of journalists in Tajikistan and supporting journalism schools for junior journalists to gain experience in the professional skills required for working in the media. Previous to setting up Khoma, Shahlo Akobirova was the director of Internews Agency, again directly involved in training journalists and facilitating media production skills by establishing a media production centre in the heart of the capital and in several major provinces.  Some of the young journalists involved in training by Khoma are now working as leading editors at “The first channel of Tajik TV”, Safina TV, Bahoriston TV and at a number of other independent television stations of the country.

Access the conference page HERE.