Follows Zarifa Ghafari, one of Afghanistan’s youngest female mayors, as she fights to lead, survive, and protect her community amid the collapse of her country. Filmed across the final years of the U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power, the documentary captures both the extraordinary courage and unbearable cost of being a woman in politics in one of the world’s most repressive environments.

At just 26, Zarifa becomes mayor of Maidan Shahr, a conservative town where few women even appear in public office. Facing constant death threats from the Taliban, opposition from local officials, and disapproval from her own community, she continues her work — advocating for girls’ education, women’s employment, and civic participation. The film’s immediacy brings viewers inside her daily life: the fear of assassination, the brief moments of laughter with staff, and her unwavering determination to keep going even as the ground shifts under her feet.

Directed by Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen, In Her Hands was filmed with remarkable access and sensitivity during Afghanistan’s most volatile transition. When Kabul falls in 2021, Zarifa must flee — yet she refuses to let exile silence her.

Now based primarily in Germany, Zarifa continues her activism through the Zarifa Ghafari Foundation, which provides education and relief support for Afghan women and girls. She serves as a UN Women advisor, speaks globally about women’s leadership under authoritarian regimes, and lobbies governments to maintain pressure on the Taliban. She has been internationally recognized for her leadership and courage, including being named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia and receiving the International Woman of Courage Award. Her advocacy extends beyond policy — she uses her platform to tell the stories of women still inside Afghanistan, connecting them to global feminist and human rights movements.

The film situates Zarifa’s story in the broader movement for women’s rights and democracy in Afghanistan. Women have been erased from public life since the Taliban’s return, banned from universities, most jobs, and even public parks. Yet underground networks of Afghan women continue to organize — teaching in secret, documenting abuses, and mobilizing through encrypted channels to demand global solidarity. Zarifa’s voice is part of this resistance, linking local survival to international advocacy and reminding the world that Afghanistan’s women have not given up — they have been forced into the shadows but are still fighting.

In Her Hands is both devastating and deeply human, showing that leadership under threat is not only political — it is personal, relational, and rooted in care. Its emotional depth makes it powerful viewing for older teens and adults interested in gender justice, human rights, and the global struggle for freedom.

What you can do: Support Afghan women-led organizations such as RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan), Women for Afghan Women, and the Zarifa Ghafari Foundation. Amplify Afghan women’s voices online, demand that governments reinstate aid for women’s education and protection, and stand in solidarity with movements resisting gender apartheid in Afghanistan and globally.