Afghan Rape Film Makes Waves

An Afghan film on gang rape, drawing material from recent incidents around the country, was released today in Afghanistan.

Film director Abdul Rasheed Azimi told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that the movie, "Akse Yadgaari" ("The Keepsake Photo"), grapples with sexual abuse in Afghanistan -- a widespread problem -- through art and cinematography.

The film follows the life of a young Afghan girl in the western province of Herat who is gang raped by a dozen men.

President Hamid Karzai proposed a death penalty for rapists last year, but it did not pass.

In 2007, the release of the Hollywood film "The Kite Runner" was postponed due to its depiction of a rape, which upset the Afghan family of the young actor involved.

-- Merkhat Sharipzhanov