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(1 - 10) of 10 OFCS Rating: 100% Fresh Page   1   4/5 "Although not breaking new ground in terms of the way it is shot and edited, this is a compelling story and features some excellent archive footage."   Eye for Film   Amber Wilkinson 4/5 "Using popular culture as a window onto the hopes and fears of contemporary Afghanistan, Havana Marking's winning documentary is worth making a song and dance about."   Channel 4 Film   Anton Bitel "Although sadly rife with gut-clenching moments as those, Afghan Star is most thrilling when depicting the show's delicately balanced effort to bring Afghans together despite their fractious ethnic and clan boundaries."   Hollywood Reporter   Chris Barsanti B- "It's an upbeat film, though hardly a convincing one, that shows there's more to the popular TV show than entertainment."   Ozus' World Movie Reviews   Dennis Schwartz "Fascinating, 'Afghan Star' pictures the familiar dropped into a totally foreign context distanced even more by recent and continuing bloody strife."   ReelTalk Movie Reviews   Donald J. Levit 5/5 "An extraordinary documentary about an American Idol-like TV show that manages to capture the volatile mix of history, religion, and pop culture in contemporary war-torn Afghanistan."   Spirituality and Practice   Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat 69/100 "Afghan Star provides us with an up-close peek at the more progressive side of war-torn Afghanistan."   Film and Felt   Gabe Leibowitz A- "Marking follows four contestants for the three months leading up to "Afghan Star's" finale and, while there are some amusing parallels to "American Idol," it is also clear Glambert would risk stoning had he been performing in Afghanistan."   Reeling Reviews   Laura Clifford A- "...insightful document that gives you so much more than the well-done look at a reality show."   Reeling Reviews   Robin Clifford 7/10 "...by the end of the 88 minute journey you'll learn more about contemporary Afghanistan than you will from a month of watching television news in the United States."   Playback:stl   Sarah Boslaugh  (1 - 10) of 10 OFCS Rating: 100% Fresh Page   1