Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl)

2/19/2026

Skateboarding seems to be a theme amongst short films in 2019, as this one and “Kamali” show us just how effective this sport can be when it comes to empowering young girls in a society where their roles and positions are mapped out along more traditional lines. This feature takes us into a school for girls - nicknamed “Skateistan” - where they are being taught to read and stay upright on their wheels, all whilst the resurgent Taliban are imposing themselves more and more in a Kabul that will likely change quite profoundly for both them and their opportunities. From the mouths of a couple of the confidently engaging girls like Fatima and Kashina, as well as through their actually quite brave teachers, we learn first hand how girls as young as thirteen are being taken out of what is still m