Casting light on the reel Afghanistan

Media coverage of Afghanistan and its peoples has dwindled significantly since 2001 when the Taliban were overthrown by US Special Forces after years of repression, fear and instability. The perception at the time was that this was the dawn of a more stable, secure and free Afghanistan. But with start of 2007 came reports that the Taliban were gaining new ground, reclaiming vulnerable areas and getting stronger by the month. The situation remains unchanged, and so it becomes increasingly important to shift focus back onto the country.

 

In an effort to raise the public profile of Afghanistan and interest in Afghani culture, Education Through Art—supported mainly by the British Council—is holding what they describe as "the first festival of Afghan Cinema and culture in the UK." With the aim of celebrating the country’s rich culture and of "building awareness of issues surrounding the country," the festival, held between 21 February and 8 March, packs cinema, art exhibitions and music alongside other cultural events.

 

Inspired by a visit to Afghanistan by Dan Gorman and Zahra Qadir the festival was initially to cover only Afghani films. It is so often the way, though: plan a small film festival and it so easily takes on a life of its own. However, these "few screenings," which Dan Gorman describes as the original idea, have now expanded into solid fortnight of film screenings at the Filmhouse and the Cameo, and almost a dozen other events held throughout the city.

 

Without a doubt, cinema remains the centrepiece of the festival, and brings with it a slew of renowned films covering Afghanistan's most pertinent social, political and cultural issues – women’s rights, refugees and the grinding poverty which is especially rife in the rural areas each find expression. Events got under way earlier this week with Siddiq Barmak’s Osama, which won a Golden Globe for best foreign film in 2004, telling the story of a widow forced to disguise her twelve year old girl as a boy so the child can provide income for the family. It's an opening which strikes right at the divide between Afghanistan's awful Soviet legacy, and today's cruelty under the Taliban.

 

Other screenings include the award-winning documentary The Boy who plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan (February 29th), originally released back in 2003. Astute observers might recognise in the title a reference to an incident which caused an international furore: in March 2001 the Taliban ordered the destruction of the world-famous, priceless, and irreplaceable Buddhas of of Bamiyan as part of a bid to rid the country the remnants of the "gods of the infidels." An action less debatable than universally lamentable, the notoriety of the Taliban's senseless Buddah-blasting ought to make this a popular screening; Phil Grabsky, the film’s director, will attend the screening and host a discussion at the Filmhouse.

 

Another exciting prospect is the special "surprise showing" of a film from the Afghan National Archive of Film on 1 March. The archive stored some of Afghanistan’s greatest celluloid treasures but came under increasing scrutiny and censorship in the 1970s with the arrival of the Soviet forces. As an extra bonus, the screening will be attended by Engineer Latif the director of the institution, who took part in hiding films in order to save them from destruction: a risk of remarkable foresight and of real importance since Taliban eventually sacked the Archive, hoping to destroy the last remnants of Afghanistan’s celluloid heritage.

 

It's the all-too-rare opportunity for Afghani artists to perform and discuss their work on an international stage which marks Reel Afghanistan out as such an exciting prospect. Budget flights in and out of Afghanistan being in short supply, the organisers—with invaluable help from the British Council—have provided visas and finance to enabling ten Afghani musicians to play in Edinburgh and discuss their experiences with the audience – Introducing: Music of Afghanistan is on 23 February. This engagement with audiences is a major part of the event's ethos: speaking at a screening of his film Earth and Ashes, writer Atiq Rahimi described the role of the artists as not to change things but to question them and "be witness" to social surroundings. He continued to say that he wanted to focus on "the effect of war," not necessarily the fighting, but the consequences, which have proved even more devastating for the country.

 

Run entirely on a voluntary basis, Reel Afghanistan provides an avenue for Afghans to start to reclaim their country and culture on their own terms and reintroduce their plight to the world. The struggle is far from over even though much has changed. As Atiq Rahimi describes: “The good has gotten better but the bad has gotten worse.”

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