Powerful documentary 'Bread and Roses' premieres this week

"A woman is never told to fight. A woman becomes a fighter and an activist because her rights are taken away from her."

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai knows what it means to stand up and fight. And as executive producer of the new Apple Original Films documentary "Bread and Roses," the activist is shining a light on the eradication of women’s rights in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

"The Taliban are systematically oppressing women and girls from work, education, and any form of public and political participation," says Yousafzai. "The Taliban are making it a crime for women to have these human rights. And the women are resisting it, they're fighting back the Taliban, because they actually have no choice." 

Directed by Sahra Mani and produced by Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence, "Bread and Roses" centers on three Afghan women and the ways in which their lives change following the country’s Taliban takeover in 2021.

"The situation is getting more difficult for Afghan women," says Mani. "But we want to make sure that they are not alone. That's why we are here, and we made this film."

Adds Lawrence, "To be able to make something like a film that's tangible, that's permanent, that's not a part of the 24-hour news cycle was really important to shine light on this, because that is not what the Taliban wants. The Taliban wants to work in secrecy and in the dark and for all of us to move on and to forget about what they're doing to women in Afghanistan."

"Bread & Roses" premieres globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, Nov. 22 — click here for more information on the film.