Congratulations to longtime MPI filmmaker Elizabeth Mirzaei whose documentary short Three Songs for Benazir premiered today on Netflix. The film is also shortlisted for best documentary short for the 94th Oscars. 

Co-directed with her husband Gulistan, Three Songs for Benazir follows the story of Shaista, a young man who—newly married to Benazir and living in a camp for displaced persons in Kabul—struggles to balance his dreams of being the first from his tribe to join the Afghan National Army with the responsibilities of starting a family. Even as Shaista’s love for Benazir is palpable, the choices he must make to build a life with her have profound consequences.

The Wall Street Journal called the film a “poetically rendered love story of two newlywed teens.” In the article Elizabeth remarks, “there is so much beauty in [Afghanistan] that war often overshadows. Politics are tumultuous and change all the time. This is a love story that we hope can transcend that.” 

Elizabeth has taken part in several MPI internships, labs, workshops, and masterclasses throughout the last several years. Learn more about her experience with MPI here, and stream Three Songs for Benazir today on Netflix.