Film follows Afghan women’s rights advocate seeking dialogue with Taliban

Al Jazeera has released a 25-minute documentary episode on Afghan women living under Taliban rule and the efforts of one advocate to press for their rights. The film, directed by Fatima Lianes and published on June 17, 2026, focuses on Mahbouba Seraj, an Afghan women’s rights campaigner whose method includes direct engagement with Taliban officials.

According to Al Jazeera’s description of the episode, Afghan women face constant risk as restrictions narrow their public lives, limit their freedoms and suppress their voices. The episode says some women have responded by studying, teaching and organising in secret to preserve education and skills.

The film presents those efforts as a form of quiet resistance, while also showing the risks faced by women trying to keep educational networks alive. Al Jazeera says the episode looks at the difficult choices women make as they weigh safety, survival and demands for basic rights.

A disputed strategy

Seraj is portrayed by Al Jazeera as an advocate who believes dialogue remains necessary even with those responsible for restricting women. The episode says she works to draw international attention to what Afghan women are facing while also seeking contact with Taliban representatives.

That approach has caused friction with other activists, according to Al Jazeera. The disagreement described in the film centres on whether engagement with the Taliban can help restore rights or risks legitimising those who have curtailed them.

Al Jazeera says the episode follows Seraj after other options have been exhausted, as she turns to “nanawati,” described as a final appeal to the humanity of an opposing side. Through that appeal, she asks the Taliban to bring back education and basic rights for girls and women.

Secret learning and public pressure

The documentary links Seraj’s public advocacy with the underground work of women who continue to learn and teach despite restrictions, according to Al Jazeera. It frames both as parts of the same struggle: one aimed at keeping Afghan women visible internationally, the other at preserving knowledge inside the country.

Al Jazeera says the episode examines the moral and emotional strain behind those choices. The film presents negotiation, secrecy and grassroots organising as contested tools used by Afghan women trying to survive and defend their rights under Taliban rule.

The episode is part of Al Jazeera’s video programming and runs 25 minutes and 16 seconds. It was released with the title “Nanawati: The Last Negotiation | Ep 6 – Afghanistan.”

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.