Mozhdah Jamalzadah // I’ll Be Fine
Directed by Ryan Daniel McKinney
Director of Photography: Jesse Aragon and Matthew Espenshade
Edited by Anthony Soler
often referred to as “Mozhdah” in Kabul, Afghanistan. At the age of five she and her family fled the civil war in Afghanistan to settle in Canada. Raised in Vancouver, BC, Mozhdah studied Broadcast Journalism at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Philosophy and Political Science at the University of British Columbia. She also wrote songs. Among these songs was Dokhtare Afghan (Afghan Girl). Dokhtare Afghan was an instant hit on the Afghan TV stations and airwaves. It brought back the stories of strong Afghan heroines to the homes of many of the Afghans and sparked an interest amongst young Afghan women. It also earned Mozhdah many nominations and awards at the Afghan and International TV and radio stations. Dokhtare Afghan also brought history to Afghan Culture. On International Women’s Day 2010, Mozhdah was asked to be the first Afghan to perform at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama, and the song she sang was of the bravery of Afghan Women “Dokhtare Afghan”. In December 2009 she was offered a position to work with an up-and-coming television station in Afghanistan, 1TV. She was to be the host of Afghanistan’s Got Talent. Mozhdah took the offer because it meant that she could go back to her homeland. Mozhdah’s political and philosophical studies also gave her the drive to pursue more difficult ambitions. Once she joined 1TV, she soon decided she wanted to make her trip to Afghanistan fulfill her desire to make a difference. The concept of the Mozhdah show was created. On the Mozhdah Show, Mozhdah and her producers created programming that addressed hard hitting and taboo topics in Afghan society, and what it was like to be a woman, a child, a person living in Afghan society. The Mozhdah Show also provided Mozhdah with the ability to explore and learn more about the current situation in Afghanistan through the eyes of Afghans.