Query: Documentary films about Afghanistan, but are not about jihadism.
Domain: films
Relevant documents:
Three Songs for Benazir
The Forbidden Reel
The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan
The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan
No Burqas Behind Bars
The Boy Mir
Enemies of Happiness
Love Crimes of Kabul
Saving Mes Aynak
A Flickering Truth
16 Days in Afghanistan
The Afghan Alphabet
Bitter Lake (film)
Afghan Star (film)
Afghan Muscles
The Boxing Girls of Kabul
Frame by Frame (film)
Evidence from documents: Three Songs for Benazir: Documentary films about Afghanistan: '''''Three Songs for Benazir (دری سندری د بینظیر لپاره)''''' is an Academy Award nominated 2021 Afghan-American documentary short film
about Afghanistan: The story of Shaista, a young man who—newly married to Benazir and living in a camp for displaced people in Kabul—struggles to balance his dreams of being the first from his tribe to join the Afghan National Army with the responsibilities of starting a family.
The Forbidden Reel: a 2019 Canadian documentary film, directed by Ariel Nasr. The film profiles the cinema of Afghanistan through a history of the Afghan Film Organization.
The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan: '''''The Boy Who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan''''' is a 2004 documentary film, directed by British film maker Phil Grabsky and released on 6 March 2004 in USA.


This film takes place over four seasons and follows Hazara refugees living in squalor. The refugees, including an eight-year-old boy, are living with the legacy of the Taliban and military interventions.
The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan: '''''The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan''''' is a 2010 documentary film produced by Clover Films and directed by Afghan journalist Najibullah Quraishi about the practice of ''bacha bazi'' in Afghanistan.
No Burqas Behind Bars: '''''No Burqas Behind Bars''''' is a 2012 Swedish feature-length documentary film made by Maryam Ebrahimi and Nima Sarvestani on life in a women's prison in Afghanistan.
The Boy Mir: The film covers the day-to-day lives of Mir and his family.
Enemies of Happiness: '''''Enemies of Happiness''''' is a 2006 documentary about the controversial Afghan politician and member of the Afghan Parliament Malalai Joya filmed by Danish director Eva Mulvad.
Love Crimes of Kabul: a 2011 documentary film following select cases of inmates at Badam Bagh women's prison in Kabul, Afghanistan, where half are jailed for "moral crimes" such as adultery, premarital sex and running away from home.
Saving Mes Aynak: Documentary films: '''''Saving Mes Aynak''''' is a 2014 independent documentary film, directed, produced, shot and edited by Brent E. Huffman.
about Afghanistan: It focuses on Afghan archaeologist Qadir Temori and his struggle to save Mes Aynak, a 5,000-year-old archaeological site in Afghanistan which faces demolition.
A Flickering Truth: a 2015 New Zealand documentary film written and directed by Pietra Brettkelly. It follows the attempts by Ibrahim Arify to restore the Afghan Film archives in Kabul following the Taliban capture of the city
16 Days in Afghanistan: '''''16 Days in Afghanistan''''' is a 2007 documentary film about the journey of Afghan-American Anwar Hajher, also the director, traveling to his homeland Afghanistan after 25 years to rediscover his country. The film is produced by Mithaq Kazimi and is the first documentary since the fall of Taliban to be shot in those provinces which remain under the heavy influence of the Taliban. The film become a reference film on Afghanistan, including Penguin Books's study guides about Afghan-related books.
The Afghan Alphabet: '''The Afghan Alphabet''' (, ''Alefbay-e afghan'') is a 2002 documentary by Mohsen Makhmalbaf showing the life of children in the Afghan villages bordering Iran, and how their life and culture were affected by the Taliban regime.
Bitter Lake (film): Documentary films about Afghanistan, but are not about jihadism: The film makes extended use of newsreels and archive footage, and intersperses brief narrative segments with longer segments that depict violence and war in Afghanistan
Documentary films: '''''Bitter Lake''''' is a 2015 BBC documentary
Afghan Star (film): '''''Afghan Star''''' is a 2009 British documentary film following four contestants in the Afghan music competition, ''Afghan Star''.
Afghan Muscles: '''''Afghan Muscles''''' is a 2006 Danish documentary film directed by Andreas Møl Dalsgaard about bodybuilding in Afghanistan.
Following the 2001 United States-led invasion and the overthrow of the Taliban government, bodybuilding has enjoyed a renaissance in Afghanistan. The film follows the lives of two Afghan bodybuilding champions, Hamidullah Shirzai and Noorulhoda Shirzad, who are part of the national team training for the 2004 Mr. Asia competition in Bahrain. Although the men enjoy celebrity status in their country, their training is hampered by a lack of financial support, problems in gaining access to the bodybuilding supplements and professional guidance that would improve their competitive performances, and the ongoing military conflict across Afghanistan. Hamid also has the added burden of being nagged by his father to settle down and marry and by the abrupt withdrawal of support by a gym owner who once encouraged his progress. The Afghan national team arrives in Bahrain for the Mr. Asia event, but the more flamboyant competitors from other countries overshadow them.
The Boxing Girls of Kabul: '''''The Boxing Girls of Kabul''''' is a 2012 Canadian documentary film directed by Ariel Nasr. The film follows young women boxers and their coach Sabir Sharifi at Afghanistan’s female boxing academy, as these athletes face harassment and threats in their efforts to represent their country in international competition and attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games.


Training takes place at Ghazi Stadium, Afghanistan’s national stadium, which had previously been the site of executions by the Taliban.
Frame by Frame (film): '''''Frame by Frame''''' is a 2015 documentary film that follows four Afghan photojournalists – Farzana Wahidy, Massoud Hossaini, Wakil Kohsar and Najibullah Musafar – who face struggles as they report during the “photo revolution” that is occurring in the post-Taliban free press.