Cinema of Afghanistan
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This article addresses Persian and Pashto cinemas of Afghanistan. For Pashto cinema in general please see: Pashto films industry.
Cinema entered Afghanistan at the beginning of 20th century. The political changes of Afghanistan has not allowed the cinema of the country to grow over the years. However, numerous Pashto and Persian films have been made both inside and outside Afghanistan throughout the 20th century. Cinema of Afghanistan entered a new phase since 2001. Several Afghan films have attracted international critics and the public.
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[edit] History
Amir Habibullah (1901-1919) introduced film to Afghanistan, but in the royal court only. In 1923-24, the first projector - "magic box" or "mageek lantan" (magic lantern) - showed the first silent film in Paghman to the public. The first Afghan film, "Love and Friendship (film)", was produced in 1946.[1]
In 1968, the Afghan Film Organization was built. When the Taliban took power in 1996 in Kabul, cinemas were attacked and many films were burnt.
[edit] 2000s
Since 2000, the cinema of Afghanistan has slowly started to emerge from a lengthy period of silence. Before the September 11th attacks, Afghanistan-based Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf attracted world attention to Afghanistan with his celebrated movie, Kandahar. It was an attempt to tell the world about a forgotten country. The film brought the cinema of Afghanistan to the Cannes film festival for the first time in history. Later Samira Makhmalbaf, Siddiq Barmak, Horace Shansab, Yassamin Maleknasr and Abolfazl Jalili made a significant contribution to Dari cinema in Afghanistan. Barmak's first Dari/Pashtu film Osama (2003) won several awards at film festivals in Cannes and London. Siddiq Barmak is also director of the Afghan Children Education Movement (ACEM), an association that promotes literacy, culture and the arts, founded by Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. The school trains actors and directors for the emerging cinema of Afghanistan. In 2006 Afghanistan joined the Central Asian and Southern Caucasus Film Festivals Confederation.
Zolykha's Secret (2007), (Rahze Zolykha in Dari) is also among the first feature films from post-Taliban Afghanistan. Lyrical and tragic, the film has played to full houses at major film festivals. The film's director, Horace Ahmad Shansab, trained young Afghan filmmakers and made the film entirely on location in Afghanistan.
Apart from Dari cinema, Pashto cinema is also flourishing in Afghanistan. Several Pashto language films have been made since the fall of the Taliban. Also several Pashto films have been made by foreigners like "Good Morning Afghanistan" (2003) by Camilla Nielsson.
In the 1970s and 1980s, it was not difficult to get women to act in films. The war and the Taliban rule changed the situation. Today women are increasingly represented in the cinema of Afghanistan. Talented actors like Amina Jafari, Saba Sahar and Marina Gulbahari have emerged over the last decade.[2]
Many documentaries have been made in Afghanistan since the Taliban, most notably 16 Days in Afghanistan by Mithaq Kazimi and Postcards from Tora Bora by Wazhmah Osman
[edit] Outside Afghanistan
Since many filmmakers escaped the country due to the wars, they began to make films outside Afghanistan. Some notable films made outside Afghanistan include Shirin Gul-o-Shir Agha trilogy made in Russia, Foreign Land, Sheraghai Daghalbaaz, In The Wrong Hands, Shade of Fire, 3 Friends, Al Qarem in United States, Shekast in Pakistan, Aftaab e Bighroob in Tajikistan and Kidnapping in Germany.
Most notable of all were Academy-Award submission FireDancer and France-based film Khakestar-o-khak.
[edit] Foreign Films
Many foreign films were made within Afghanistan which include The Beast (1988) and Khuda Gawah.
Since the fall of Taliban films made in or about Afghanistan include, Bollywood film Kabul Express, Escape From Taliban, British Film In This World and Hollywood-produced Kite Runner.
[edit] Afghan Film (AFO)
Afghan Film also known as Afghan Film Organization (AFO) is Afghanistan's state-run film company. It was established in 1968 and the current president is Latif Ahmadi.
[edit] Notable Individuals
[edit] Actors
- Salaam Sangi
- Haji Kamran
[edit] Actresses
- Amina Jafari
- Saba Sahar
- Marina Gulbahari
