Music has finally made its way back to Afghanistan. Until a few years ago, when the Taliban was still in power, people risked prison sentences and even the death penalty if they sang, danced or listened to music. After the 2004 elections, these restrictions were lifted, which led to a rediscovery of the Afghan music culture. A point in case is the TV show Afghan Star, the Afghan version of Pop Idol, an extremely popular programme watched every week by 11 million Afghans or one-third of the entire population. The young British documentary filmmaker Havana Marking follows four contestants during the final rounds: two men and two women. Because Marking not only films the events surrounding the show, but also accompanies the participants to their hometowns (including Mazari Sharif and Herat), she succeeds in depicting a divided Afghanistan. The country may be optimistic and the music might be permitted for the time being but the power and threat of the Taliban are still very real. Some women in Kabul walk around without burkas and actually use make-up, but at the same time we hear Lema, a contestant from the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar, explain that her participation is extremely dangerous and she has to rehearse in secret.