News Center – In the heart of devastated Kabul, amid the dust of wars and the ruin that still weighs on daily life, a seemingly impossible dream is born: a young girl imagines herself as president of the republic. This is not mere childish fantasy; it is the essence of the film” Five O’clock in the Afrernoon,” which has become one of the boldest cinematic readings of the reality of women in Afghanistan.

The film “Five O’clock in the Afternoon,” produced in 2003, in one of the most prominent works of Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf. Its events take place in Afghanistan after the first fall of the Taliban.

The film tells the story of a young woman named Nogreh, who carries within her a dream of the reality of women in societies emerging from war. Samira Makhmalbaf used the ruins of Kabul, water shortages, migration, and poverty as metaphors for a society on the threshold of change but still captive to the shadows of tradition and violence.

Nogreh’s dream of reaching political power becomes a symbol of women’s struggle to regain their right to presence in the public sphere and to participate in shaping their social destiny and building the future of their communities.

From the perspective of women’s rights activists, the film shows that the fall of the Taliban does not necessarily mean the liberation of women, as cultural structures and male mentalities remain deeply rooted in society. Nogreh’s father embodies deeply entrenched traditions that continue, even after political changes, to resist women’s education and independence.

One of the films’ most prominent features is its blending of documentary-style realism with poetic imagery. Director Samira Makhmalbaf relied on non‑professional actors and real shooting locations to present a realistic picture of Afghanistan, yet at the same time used her own visual and symbolic language, turning the film into a poetic work about hope, resistance, and the dream of change.

"Five O'Clock in the Afternoon" can be considered a cinematic manifesto defending the right to education, the right to dream, and women's right to political participation. It is a work affirming that the aspiration for freedom and equality remains alive even amid destruction and despair. The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003 and helped draw the world's attention to the situation of women in Afghanistan.

Revisiting the film "Five O'Clock in the Afternoon" in light of the current circumstances in Afghanistan takes on added importance. More than two decades after its production, and following the Taliban's return to power, many of the aspirations and demands of women that Samira Makhmalbaf embodied through the character of Nogreh continue to face great restrictions and challenges.

The widespread deprivation of girls from secondary and university education, the restriction of women's participation in public and political life, and the continuation of forms of structural discrimination have made Nogreh's dream of participating in shaping her country's future transcend being a personal ambition to become a symbol of Afghan women's ongoing struggle for their basic rights.

From this standpoint, the film today is more than just a narrative of the past; it presents a vivid, cautionary picture of contemporary reality in Afghanistan and reflects the continuing challenges facing women in their quest for freedom and equality.