by InTrieste
Zainab Entezar, the Afghan dissident filmmaker and writer, made an emotional appearance in Trieste this week to premiere her latest work and amplify the voices of Afghan women who continue to resist Taliban repression.
On Tuesday evening, Entezar unveiled Shot the Voice of Freedom at the Teatro Miela—a deeply personal film that tells the story of two sisters in Afghanistan who defy a brutal fate, protesting the systematic erasure of their rights. From education to employment, from freedom of dress to the simple act of walking unaccompanied, the film lays bare the cost of being a woman under Taliban rule. The screening marked the Italian premiere of the film and drew a packed audience of locals, activists, and film lovers alike.
Earlier that day, Entezar met with reporters in the theater’s Ridotto hall. “This film is not fiction,” she said in an interview with InTrieste. “It is the mirror of lives lived in fear, but also in defiance. Afghan women are still fighting—and they want the world to listen.”
Her visit was made possible by the Rete del Caffè Sospeso (“The Suspended Coffee Network”), a grassroots alliance of seven Italian cultural festivals that offers “media escort” to threatened intellectuals and dissidents. By bringing artists like Entezar to European stages, the initiative aims to protect voices under siege through international visibility. In Trieste, the effort was joined by several local organizations, including Teatro Miela, Linea d’Ombra OdV, Gruppo Anarchico Germinal, Articolo 21, and ICS – Ufficio Rifugiati Onlus.
The program continues on Wednesday evening, when Entezar will present her latest book, Fuorché il Silenzio (“Everything But Silence”), at the Circolo Germinal. The volume gathers the testimonies of 36 Afghan women who have fought for their rights in the aftermath of the Taliban’s return to power. “These women are not victims—they are revolutionaries,” Entezar said.
As the world’s attention shifts elsewhere, Entezar’s voice rings out as a reminder: silence, for many Afghan women, is no longer an option.
