In Spring 2022, the Taliban implemented a series of new decrees that banned music from being played in public or on TV throughout Afghanistan. Girls were sent home from school on their first day back, and subsequently ordered to wear the Chadari, the infamous blue full body veil that became iconic during the first Taliban regime in the late nineties.

Laili, a 21-year-old Afghan woman who has been educated and has never had to wear a veil, must now go to her local Chadari seller to purchase her first full body veil. As she wanders through the shop, she is drawn to the sounds of music coming from the back and discovers a young man, a disillusioned Taliban member, secretly playing the Rabab. In her search for a veil that fits, Laili must confront the new future she faces and the limitations it imposes on her, all while glimpsing the world beyond the mesh of her Chadari.

Director Biography - Elham Ehsas

Elham is a BAFTA-Longlisted, award winning Writer and Director of Fiction. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, he fled the Taliban and came to the UK when he was 10.

Elham makes rich ethnic-driven stories on culture, identity and home. His films tell stories that aren’t often seen on our screens – many inspired by stories from his home country as well as his experiences as a refugee.

His debut short film Our Kind of Love, about a refugee girl on a first date in London, was BAFTA long-listed in 2019 and went on to be screened at festivals around the world. It has currently been watched by more than 3.1 million viewers on YouTube.

His short film Your Hand Found Mine, made in collaboration with BFI & BAFTA Crew, premiered at the House of Lords and won Best Drama at Berlin Flash Festival.

He is currently writing with acclaimed writer John Collee (Happy Feet, Hotel Mumbai, Master and Commander), adapting his short film Our Kind of Love to feature form. He has been commissioned by Bad Wolf Productions (Doctor Who, His Dark Materials, A Discovery of Witches, I Hate Suzie) to write and devise for a new TV series. He is also working with Synchronicity Pictures to adapt Hamid Amiri’s acclaimed book Boy With Two Hearts for TV.

Elham is also part of BAFTA Connect, a prestigious three year scheme by BAFTA to support future creative leaders.

He is also an actor having made his acting debut in the acclaimed international hit film The Kite Runner, and has since appeared in numerous films and TV including Brad Pitt’s War Machine, Netflix’s Young Wallander and the final season of ShowTime’s Homeland, as well as performing on stage in the Young Vic, West End and New York runs of Good Chance's critically acclaimed play The Jungle. He will next be seen in Shantaram as well as the second season of Little America, both for Apple TV.



Director Statement

As an Afghan filmmaker, I am deeply committed to sharing stories and perspectives from my country with a wider audience. The recent decrees passed by the Taliban restricting the freedoms of Afghan women have particularly motivated me to use my voice and platform to shed light on this important issue.

The inspiration for Yellow came to me in May 2022 when the Taliban issued a new mandate requiring all Afghan women to wear the Chadari, the well-known full bodied blue burqa that was the dress code for women during the Taliban's first regime in 1996. This decision has significantly impacted the lives of Afghan women, and I felt a strong desire to explore and bring attention to this through my film.

There is a generation of young Afghan women who have never had to wear the Chadari, as they were born after the US led invasion in 2000. However, the Taliban's recent decree has changed this, and these young women now not only have to purchase and learn how to wear the Chadari, but also confront the limitations and oppression that it represents. Yellow aims to shed light on the struggles of Afghan women, who have endured numerous regime changes and have often been made to feel invisible.

This is the central premise of my short film, which is about Laili, a young Afghan woman, who walks into a Chadari shop to buy her first veil and face a new future as a woman in Afghanistan.

During pre-production, Yiannis, the Director of Photography and I spent three weeks carefully planning every shot in a way that would effectively convey the presence of the Chadari, that serves as a symbol of the forces of oppression that Afghan women constantly face. We incorporated this symbolism into our framing, production design, and costume choices, using the dark blues of the Chadari to contrast with the light, innocent colours of Laili, the film's protagonist, who is confronted with her grim, limited new future.

I made this film to bring awareness to the struggles faced by Afghan women and to inspire change. Through powerful cinematography and compelling storytelling, I hope to ignite a conversation about the ongoing fight for women's rights in Afghanistan.