Afghan Women Fight for Autonomy in Powerful NewBread & RosesTrailer: 'We'd Sacrifice Our Lives' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Three years after the Talibanreturned to powerin Afghanistan, Apple is releasing a powerful documentary detailing the harrowing impact it has had on women.

The upcoming filmBread & Rosesfollows three women — Dr. Zahra Mohammadi, Sharifa Mowahedzada and Taranom Seyedi — “as they fight to recover their autonomy,” according to an official synopsis.

In the film’s trailer, exclusively shared with PEOPLE, the group of women are shown adjusting to their new reality following the Taliban’s seizing of Kabul in August 2021.

“After my engagement party, people were praying, normal life was in motion. Then suddenly, lightning struck,” a woman narrates.

Emotional voiceovers in the trailer explain that the Taliban has restricted women’s rights and they are no longer able to study or “go outside without a chaperone.” One woman, Dr. Mohammadi, is forced to leave her clinic because of the Taliban’s regime.

“I’m recording this video so that if anything happens to me, you’ll know the Islamic Emirate is responsible,” a woman says directly to the camera.

Throughout the trailer, flashes of violent protests fill the scene as women are shown protesting for their rights. They chant, “Work, bread, and education.” There is also a behind-the-scenes look at how they organized and taught one another.

Towards the end, several women stand in a line while partially covering their faces with a hand that has “#StandWithWomenInAfghanistan" written on the palm.

“We’d sacrifice our lives for this country and its people,” a woman expresses.

“Several brilliant women participated in this film with the hope of raising their voice and sharing their stories with the world outside of Afghanistan,” Mani tells PEOPLE. “They knew the risks of participating in a documentary, but their desire for education, work, and freedom was greater than the possible risks to their safety.”

The Taliban, which first emerged in the ‘90s, regained control of Afghanistan in 2021 shortly after the United Stateswithdrew from the countryfollowing a 20-year war. The fundamentalist group entered the capital on Aug. 15, 2021, after the country’s then-President Ashraf Ghani fled in what he claimed was an attempt to avoid further violence.

At the time, officials stated that some women’s sportswill be banned, particularly cricket, as deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission Ahmadullah Wasiq said it’s “not necessary” for women to play the sport because “they might face a situation where their face and body will not be covered.”

Since then, the Taliban has “banned all sports for women and girls” and “have actively intimidated and harassed those who once played, often scaring them from even practicing in private,” according to theAssociated Press.

Drastic changes have also been made to women’s education. PerAP, girls are no longer able to attend school above the sixth grade and they have been banned from public spaces such as parks, gyms and a majority of jobs.

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source: people.com