Siddiq Barmak

According to the official history of Afghanistan, ruthless destruction has always prevailed over art and creation; but there is another tale to be told, the forgotten account of a diverse and progressive country, seen through the lens of innovative filmmakers, a story that survives thanks to a few brave Afghans, a small but very passionate group that secretly fought to save a huge film archive that was constantly menaced by war and religious fanaticism.

In a land beset by endless strife, nothing must get in the way of the preservation of honour - even if that means sacrificing a loved one. Mena, a young, beautiful bride-to-be, lives in a small, remote village in northern Afghanistan, a harsh landscape that still shimmers with breathtaking colours. Respecting the deeply conservative local customs, she and her fiancé, Rahmat, have little contact yet cherish a special bond.

After the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the restriction of women in public life, a preteen girl is forced to masquerade as a boy in order to find work to support her mother and grandmother.

After the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the restriction of women in public life, a preteen girl is forced to masquerade as a boy in order to find work to support her mother and grandmother.

After the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the restriction of women in public life, a preteen girl is forced to masquerade as a boy in order to find work to support her mother and grandmother.

A pious old man, who is a proponent of suicide attackers, comes to Kabul to visit his only son, who, after the holy war had remained in the Soviet Union. He had enrolled his son in a religious school "to study the Koran and return to the village as a Mullah". In Kabul he learns that his son had decided to become a divine suicide bomber so as to go to Heaven. The film presents two different forces of the inner world of the protagonist father: paternal feelings and the holy religious ideology. The spectator witnesses how he loses his only son and holy belief. Shot in chaotic and dirty Kabul, the film portrays the incorrect interpretation of religion and the conflict of generations.

A mild-mannered farm laborer becomes enraged when the landowner's spoiled son forces the laborer's wife to sing for a foreign guest.

A mild-mannered farm laborer becomes enraged when the landowner's spoiled son forces the laborer's wife to sing for a foreign guest.

Amid the destruction of Afghan cinema, a young boy rescues reels from a fire and carries them through Kabul, showing movies to people who rarely get the chance to see them.

Two American soldiers crash their helicopter in the Afghan desert and find themselves at the mercy of the natural elements and an eclectic family of Afghan opium farmers.

Two American soldiers crash their helicopter in the Afghan desert and find themselves at the mercy of the natural elements and an eclectic family of Afghan opium farmers.

Amir's life is marked by a great emptiness: since his teenage son was killed in a rocket attack, his wife barely speaks and his eldest son does nothing but cause trouble. His work as a letter carrier is the only thing that brings Amir a little peace and restores a little normalcy. But with the conquest of Kabul by the Mujahideen, his daily route through the city looks more and more like crossing a minefield.

Amir's life is marked by a great emptiness: since his teenage son was killed in a rocket attack, his wife barely speaks and his eldest son does nothing but cause trouble. His work as a letter carrier is the only thing that brings Amir a little peace and restores a little normalcy. But with the conquest of Kabul by the Mujahideen, his daily route through the city looks more and more like crossing a minefield.