Afghanistan’s got glamour!

KABUL, Afghanistan – Talented musicians and performers from around the world will gather on Monday, February 23, 2015 at the Istana Budaya (Palace of Culture) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to celebrate Ariana Television Network’s 9th Annual ATN® Awards. The ATN Awards recognize and celebrate Afghan music and performing arts while encouraging unity among the global Afghan community through the preservation of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage.

According to Ehsan Bayat, Chairman of the Ariana Television Network, “This annual event has grown tremendously over the past nine years to become the preeminent showcase of Afghan arts and culture around the world and, this year, we expect more than 800 guests at the show itself and more than 45 million television and online viewers enjoying our Afghanistan’s Got Glamour spectacle as well.”

Mr. Bayat continued, “We are proud to be holding our celebration in a venue built to help raise the standards of Malaysia’s performing arts, develop artistic excellence in theatre, popularize high-quality creative productions and develop a higher sense of artistic appreciation. While our ceremony honors the most popular artists and most exciting contributions to Afghanistan’s cultural development over the past twelve months, the ATN Awards are much more than an annual celebration. These achievements are integral to the long-term process of preserving and enhancing Afghanistan’s cultural heritage. All the award candidates, both the winners and nominees, are responsible for making possible this important contribution to Afghans worldwide.

Artist registration closed in late December and more than one thousand Afghans from around the world submitted their work for consideration by an esteemed panel of judges. The finalists for the 9th ATN® Awards were announced in mid January 2015 on Sitara Hai Rangeen, Intekhab-e-binendaha (Viewer’s Choice Show).