Grants & Awards

About the Film:

Afghanistan has once again taken center stage in the global fight against terrorism. As President Obama commits 17,000 additional troops, the Taliban gathers strength across the border in Pakistan ‐‐ undermining stability in both countries – and recent elections are marred by allegations of fraud, the fate of the entire region hangs in a precarious balance. Against this harrowing backdrop, the feature‐length documentary What Tomorrow Brings takes us inside a year in the life of a newly established Afghan girl’s school, where the humanitarian battle to provide basic education for girls mirrors the military and political battles to save Afghanistan from again becoming a failed state.  The film traces the stories of several girls over a single school year – both inside the classroom and at home – while providing a rare glimpse into the day‐to‐day life of an Afghan community torn between two radically different destinies. The perspectives of Razia, village elders, teachers, parents and the girls themselves are each layered on top of each other, reflecting the complex cultural politics of aid and development in the midst of war and occupation. Razia hopes that if her approach is successful, it can be used as a model for culturally‐sensitive education in other communities across Afghanistan and in developing countries around the world.

About the Filmmakers:

Beth Murphy – Director & Co-Producer

Beth Murphy is the founder of Principle Pictures.  She is currently in production on The Promise of Freedom (funded by ITVS, The Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund and Chicken and Egg Pictures), a film that focuses on Iraqis whose lives are in danger because they collaborated with the U.S. during Iraq’s reconstruction.   She directed and produced Beyond Belief (Tribeca Film Festival, Netflix, Sundance Channel) about two 9/11 widows who discover that although they are worlds apart, they share a kinship with their counterparts in Afghanistan.  The film was awarded Best Documentary at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival and the Woods Hole Film Festival.  For her work on Beyond Belief, Murphy received the One Shared World International Outreach Award from American Women in Radio and Television.  Additional filmography includes:  Fighting For Our Future (Lifetime Television), Breast Cancer Legacy (Discovery Health), Flying Pyramids—Soaring Stones (History Channel), Flu Time Bomb (Discovery International).

Sean Flynn – Co-Producer

Sean Flynn is a producer, director and cinematographer whose primary mission is to use filmmaking to open windows of understanding between cultures in conflict. He was an Associate Producer and Co‐Director of Photography on the award‐winning Beyond Belief. Most recently, Sean directed and co‐edited the short documentary Dividing Lines, a film about the lives of Israeli and Palestinian journalists. He is also a co‐producer and cinematographer on The Promise of Freedom. In 2008, Sean was a filmmaker resident at the Content + Intent Documentary Institute at Mass MoCA, where he focused on harnessing the power of documentary film as a tool for social change.