CANNES -- Young Iranian director Samira Makhmalbaf presented her quietly profound new film, Panj E Asr (Five O'Clock In The Afternoon), in the official competition. It is the story of a humble peasant woman who, despite abject poverty in the aftermath of war, aspires to be the future president of Afghanistan. She carefully exercises her freedom to return to school with the overthrow of the repressive Taliban regime.

But Makhmalbaf, while her film never gets overtly political or judgmental, was in no mood yesterday to thank the U.S. for leading the invasion which defeated the Taliban. She said the Taliban's repression is still in operation.

"The Taliban is gone but the Taliban is still there," she said of the belief system imposed by these extremists, beliefs still held by many ordinary men in Afghanistan. "It's in the culture. It's in the tradition. They believe it."

Many Afghan women she met also think that the actual Taliban, whose members are in hiding or exile, is still a threat. "To me, that is the most dangerous thing," she said. "The women still fear the return of the Taliban."

As for U.S. President George W. Bush, Makhmalbaf said that he is no different than other "fanatics" who run their governments with a rigid belief system. "I think George Bush is a Taliban (in a democracy)."

Despite some reforms, the Afghan people are in poverty, in hunger and in despair. They have been left to fend for themselves in the aftermath of war, Makhmalbaf said. That is shown in the film, without any anti-American political rants.

"I wanted to show that it wasn't Rambo who came in and saved the people of Afghanistan," she said. "To see what is beautiful there, I went in with open eyes. To tell the truth of what is there, I went in with open eyes. I tried to know what is happening there and show it in my film."


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