Bijan is an Afghan filmmaker who continued to serve as Executive Director of the Herat Women’s Film Festival, even as the Taliban was gaining ground across Afghanistan. When they took over Kabul on August 15, 2021, he was forced to literally live underground to avoid capture by the Taliban due to his support of women, democracy, and films decrying the Taliban.

In April 2022, he escaped to Pakistan, where he kept a very low profile, waiting for the refugee visa promised to him by the United States. (That process still hasn’t started.)

But supporters of freedom refused to let him languish in limbo. Thanks to U.S. friends made through filmmaking, an exceptional immigration attorney and Women’s Voices Now helped him secure a 3-year “Artist of Exceptional Merit” visa and on October 10, 2023, he arrived in Los Angeles! Given his visa, he is able to legally work in his field - film, arts, culture, translation.

While he looks for work in those areas, we need to help him settle in as he builds a life here and continues to contribute toward building support for women’s rights through film, speaking and writing.

Here’s where we need your help:

- Donations for basic costs of living such as food, bus fare, etc. All donations made through this page will be allocated to supporting Bijan.

- Housing donation: a room in someone’s home for a few months (or longer). Contact Heidi Basch-Harod (Heidi@womensvoicesnow.org) if you are able to help.

- Paid speaking engagements: about his experience and topics related to film, the need for women’s rights in Afghanistan and life in South Asia, as well as screen some of the films on which he has worked. If you know of an organization that may be interested, please contact Cindy L. Abel (CAbel@AtlantisMoon.com or (+1)404.247.6716).

Bijan’s support of women’s rights put him at risk in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It’s our turn to support him as he starts his life in the U.S. and continues to support women’s rights.

Women’s Voices Now is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization using film to drive social change that advances women's and girls' rights globally. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent provided by the law.

Welcome our Artist-in-Residence Bijan Siyamak

Escaping the Taliban, Supporting Women’s Rights