The Beauty Academy of Kabul (2004)

A documentary following American women (some of whom emigrated from Afghanistan in the early 1980s) who return to the capital city of Kabul to open an American-style school for beauticians.... See full summary »

Director:

Liz Mermin

Storyline

A documentary following American women (some of whom emigrated from Afghanistan in the early 1980s) who return to the capital city of Kabul to open an American-style school for beauticians. Some of their students are women who maintained "underground" beauty salons while the city was under strict Taliban control.

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Plot Keywords:

afghanistan | city name in title | place name in title | kabul afghanistan

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

BBC Four [uk]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Persian

Release Date:

4 May 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

I akadimia omorfias tis Kabul

Filming Locations:

Kabul, Afghanistan

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$9,704 (USA) (24 March 2006)

Gross:

$225,348 (USA) (20 October 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Magic Lantern Media Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The Jane Pauley Show: Episode dated 5 October 2004 (2004)

User Reviews

I thought this was going to be cheezy, but I was pleasantly surprised!

The idea that a beauty parlor could significantly change the lives of women who are forced to wear full burkas seemed not only uninteresting to me, but downright absurd. This film was a real surprise with its stunning digital photography and a really important self-esteem message. These women really do benefit from being beautiful, even if it is UNDER the burka. I think this film hasn't gotten USA distribution because most people have preconceived notions about the importance of hairdressers and beauty consultants, but this film completely changed my opinion about this profession. They really are psychological, emotional, and physical make-over artists and after I write this I'm going for a facial (just kidding). This is a truly wonderful film and I hope it gets off the shelf someday. The Middle East is a hot topic, wake-up people - this one deserves to be greenlit!