popMATTERS: Matthew Heineman’s remarkable Retrograde—a National Geographic film showing at some festivals now and hitting theaters and streaming later this year—is one of the most unsettlingly intimate examples of this kind of filmmaking. Ostensibly, it’s a document of the last nine months of the Western-backed Afghanistan government in 2021. The film’s scope ranges from furious
Tolo News: Director of Afghan Film, Javid Afghan, said the organization does not have the budget to make feature films, and therefore the priority has gone to making documentaries and short films. “We have done a lot of work using limited means and a small budget, and we have some projects underway, we have screened
Al Jazeera: Nabi Roshan was a renowned comedian, dubbed by many as the Jon Stewart of Afghanistan, with his show aired on the country’s largest TV network – watched by millions each week. But last August he was forced to flee the country after the Taliban armed group took over the country 20 years after
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty March 29, 2022 U.S. cellist Yo-Yo Ma joined refugees from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music for a performance in Lisbon, Portugal, where the Afghan musicians have sought asylum. Ma joined young Afghan and Portuguese musicians for the performance of a Mozart piece on March 29 on a small stage at
8am: The Taliban have imposed certain restrictions and censorships on media and freedom of speech since August 2021. In addition to the Taliban’s interferences in media’s scope of work, the factors such as security threats, and lack of funds have forced many media channels to shut down. It is recently reported that more than 50%
Tolo News: “The disappearances and detentions of Taliban critics, journalists & activists continue. Sayed Baqir Mohsini & Nadima are taken by the Taliban & there is no information about their whereabouts. This a group of dictators & repressors who must never be recognized & supported,” said Samira Hamidi, a member of Amnesty International. Click
The Guardian (UK): Nancy Yu, AKA Asia One is drawing on the hip-hop movement’s activist roots to help a group of artists and their families escape the Taliban. Click here to read more (external link).
The Guardian (UK): Television industry employees once used their programs to address progressive ideas. Many are now out of work and fearful to leave their homes. Click here to read more (external link).
AFP: Four years ago, Afghan film director Salim Shaheen was in the spotlight at Cannes, but now he spends his days confined to his home, afraid of the new Taliban regime and their clampdown on arts and music. Click here to read more (external link).
NBC News: It’s been only 2½ months since the last U.S. soldier left Afghanistan after a grueling two-decade war. Yet, perhaps sensing an opportunity to profit from the global attention garnered by the U.S. military’s withdrawal, Universal Pictures has reportedly already launched a cinematic retelling of American heroics during the evacuation. Hollywood tropes routinely brush