It made the shortlist for Best Documentary Short at the Oscars, but failed to get an actual nomination. This challenging doc is available on Paramount Plus with audio description, a stark contrast to The ABC’s Of Book Banning, a short documentary that was nominated, yet features no audio description.

Last Song Of Kabul is another documentary exploring the ramifications of leaving Afghanistan in Taliban control, as we see a music school and its students worry about their futures. Girls had been gifted the opportunity to learn to play an instrument, but as the girls detail, under Taliban rule, they could lose their hands for doing so. There’s a silver lining here, as diplomatic endeavors help bring these girls to another country to continue to study free of oppression, but even then some girls feel the weight of having left their families behind.

It is a well made and important documentary short that reminds us of a world beyond our own. The audio description not just helps us with translation, but also imagery as these girls migrate out of the home they knew for a brighter future. I haven’t seen all the documentaries in this category, and even of the ones I have, my vote would go elsewhere, but the fact that this can be this strong and be left out of the category must be a testament to the few films left I haven’t seen.

Final Grade: A-