It's Friday Night at the Movies as River City Cinema continues its Friday night residency at the Brick Church, Downtown Bangor's landmark venue for artistic expression, located at 126 Union Street.

On Friday, March 19, River City Cinema will present the stunning documentary Afghan Star. As seen on Oprah and The Daily Show, this film from Afghanistan and the UK, directed by Havana Marking, has been hailed by Oprah as “A fantastic documentary about a talent competition in a country where you would never dream such a thing is possible.”

In Afghanistan you risk your life to sing. After thirty years of war and five devastating years of Taliban rule, pop culture is beginning to return to the country. Since 2005, millions have been tuning in to Tolo TV’s wildly popular American Idol-style series Afghan Star. Like its Western predecessors, people compete for a cash prize and record deal. More surprisingly, the contest is open to everyone across the country despite gender, ethnicity or age. Two thousand people audition, including three extremely brave women. And when viewers vote for their favorites via cell phone, it is, for many, their first encounter with the democratic process.

Winner of the Directing and Audience Awards in Sundance’s 2009 World Documentary competition, Havana Marking’s timely and moving film follows the dramatic stories of four young finalists—two men and two women—as they hazard everything to become the nation’s favorite performer. By observing the Afghani people's relationship to its pop culture, Afghan Star is the perfect window into a country’s tenuous, ongoing struggle for modernity. What Americans consider frivolous entertainment is downright revolutionary—and more human—in this troubled part of the world.

Afghan Star shows at 7:30 pm on Friday, February 26. Admission is $5; concessions are available. The Brick Church is located at126 Union Street in Bangor (click here for map). Additional parking available thanks to Merrill Bank.

For the schedule of films presented by River City Cinema, please go to http://www.rivercitycinema.com/schedule.html.

River City Cinema's goal is to have a multi-purpose cinema center in Downtown Bangor. This facility will allow RCC to show first-run films, offer filmmakers editing and screening capabilities, and teach the public about the art of cinema through exhibits and hands-on demonstrations. For more information, see http://www.rivercitycinema.com.