User:MichaelQSchmidt/workspace/No Woman



No Woman (Persian: زن ممنوع) is a 2015 Afghanistan short film by Yama Rauf. The film is an experimental, arthouse, feminist black and white silent film and debuted in Afghanistan in March 2015 at the 3rd Afghanistan International Women's Film Festival.

Plot
A girl (Noor Jama) is walking alone through the desert on a road which has a sign declaring that women are not allowed. She comes to a masked man (Habibullah Nikzad) holding a gun. She rips off his mask and walks on, leaving him weeping on the road behind her. The following day a group of girls are on that same road and see the mask floating on the wind.

Cast

 * Habibullah Nikzad as Man in Mask
 * Noor Jamal as The Girl

Reception
Nick Wangersky of Hollywood North Magazine felt that "in spite of the way they’re treated at times", woman do matter. He called Rauf's project an "artistic film", and expanded that it "states that women should be allowed to make decisions too." He further felt the film a "very innovative and bold way of showing how to show what’s really behind the vileness of individuals as well as how women struggle in Islamic countries".

Misty Layne of Rogue Cinema highly praised the film, writing it "has got to be one of the most beautiful films under 3 minutes I’ve ever seen. Shot entirely in black and white, out in the desert, it shares a beautiful message about women leading women, women following in the footsteps of those who fought before them for equal rights, etc. Seriously. Under 3 minutes. It’s amazing."

Awards and nominations

 * 2015, Won 'Best Short film' from Mazar-i-Sharif US Consulate