RocKabul
Travis Beard
Australia, 2018, 90 min.
AIFF Award Winner:
Best Music Documentary
RocKabul is a coming of age documentary about youth, freedom of expression, and the strength of the human spirit. As Afghanistan's first and only metal band, District Unknown, performed to disenchanted Afghan youth, the expat community and eventually the outside world. By challenging the traditional Islamic republic, District Unknown put themselves and their fans in the firing line, and their story shows a side of Afghan life rarely shown in Western media.
One of the District Unknown band members, Qais, and executive producer, Billy Gould, best known as the bassist of Faith No More will be in attendance.
Director's Statement
From 2009, when I first met the band members of District Unknown, until the day they split up and subsequently left their home country Afghanistan, I was by their side. I was there not only to document the events, but also as a mentor and friend.
Category: Documentary, Award Winner.
Themes: Music, Culture, World Cinema, Human Spirit.
Wednesday, April 17
The Screening Room
8:00pm
Filmmaker in Attendance
More in Documentary
-
Magdalena Hausen: Frozen Time
Yannis Karpouzis
Germany, 2025, 25 min.German photographer Magdalena Hausen crosses post-war political history of Europe in her quest to make a photograph of the wind. An experimental film about... more ›
-
Voyage of the Handala
Jim Koenigsaecker
United States, 2025, 29 min.Voyage of the Handala is an independent documentary film about an international group of peace activists and aid workers sailing from Europe to Gaza to raise... more ›
-
Hollywood's Mermaid: The Esther Williams Story
Brian Gersten
United States, 2026, 20 min.From swimming champion to Hollywood starlet, Esther Williams was arguably one of the most recognizable actresses of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s yet her story has... more ›
