Acting the part

Siddiq Barmak, Osama’s director, discovered Marina at the Achiana project for street children

Marina Golbarhari was 14-years-old when she appeared in the film Osama; the first movie to be shot in Afghanistan since the Taliban banned filmmaking in 1996.

This is her account of how fame has changed her life – not always for the better.

My name is Marina and I live in Kabul with my five sisters, two brothers and my mother and father.

Osama’s director, Siddiq Barmak, came to Achiana, the project for street children where I was having lessons.

He picked out many girls but they were not comfortable speaking in front of the camera.

YouTube

Watch Marina’s story.

Then he came to me and reminded me of stories about the war to make me cry. I cried a lot. It broke my heart and because of that he chose me for his movie.

When I was a little kid I really liked movies but I did not really understand what it was all about. I really wanted to work in films. I had no idea that one day I might become an actress and now my dream has come true. I am an actress in this country and I like being an actress and I want to carry on.

Veil

Before making the Osama movie there was no problem for me to go out without a veil on. But after the film people really made trouble for me. If anyone came to interview me they would want to know what was going on and would stop them filming me in the street.

Marina must now wear a burqa when she goes outside

Now I have to wear the burqa because if I go out without it people will insult me.

I love my father and my mother but I love my father more because he makes everybody laugh and he likes to play the tambour and he likes dog fighting.

We have two dogs in the house because we are scared. Whenever my father goes away the dog looks after us at night because my parents are afraid of somebody attacking us. The other dog is for dog fighting.

I want to be a famous actress and have a good life. I want to be able in the future to express the sorrow of the Afghan people to the world, like in Osama but even better than that.

I wish I could continue my education and become a director in the future and make really good movies so that people will one day say ‘Marina, she is a famous director’.