Bigana (The Stranger)
by Siddiq Barmak
Afghanistan, 1987
synopsis
Sanowbar, a village woman with a beautiful voice, sings folk songs while working the land with her husband, Morad. When the village chief brings a foreign guest and demands a private performance, Morad sees it as a violation of tradition and honour. Under pressure from the powerful landlord Homayun, Sanowbar is forced to sing.
Torn between faith, custom, and pride, Morad makes a desperate choice…
about the director
Siddiq Barmak was born in Panjshir, Afghanistan in 1962. He earned an MA in cinema from VGIK in Moscow in 1987. His debut feature, Osama (2003), received accolades at numerous prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Busan, and London. It was also named the Best Foreign-Language Film at the Golden Globe Awards in 2004. Barmak’s second movie, Opium War (2008), achieved recognition as the best film at international film festivals in Rome, Batumi, Pristina, Kish and various other film festivals.
In addition to his filmmaking endeavors, Barmak played a pivotal role in publishing the first film magazine in Afghanistan “Cinema” and contributed to the field by teaching cinema at Kabul University. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well as Netpac.
Currently based in France, Siddiq Barmak is immersed in the production of his upcoming film, Postman.
