The first UK festival of cinema from Afghanistan launches later this month in Edinburgh with the goal of shedding a new light on the war-torn middle Eastern country.
Reel Afghanistan, running from 21 February to 8 March 2008 at Edinburgh Filmhouse, the Cameo Cinema, and other venues, also includes talks, masterclasses, exhibitions, and musical events.
Among those coming to the festival are Golden Globe award-winner Siddiq Barmak, travelling from Kabul to present his film Osama (a film still of which is pictured above). Director and author Atiq Rahimi will also be at the festival to present Earth and Ashes, a film that explores the rugged beauty of the Afghan landscape.
Both Barmak and Rahimi will take part in the Scottish Documentary Institute masterclass on Afghan Cinema (Edinburgh College of Art, 22nd February,10am).
Engineer Latif, director of Afghan National Film Archive, who helped hide films during the cultural suppression by the Taliban regime, will give a surprise screening of a surviving film from the Afghan archives (Filmhouse, 1st March 2008, 1pm).
Award-winning Director Phil Grabsky presents his documentary The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan, detailing some of the lives of the 250 refugee families living in the caves surrounding the Taliban-destroyed buddhas.
Among the non cinematic events, musicians Kharabat are coming from Kabul to perform Afghan traditional music alongside UK based Afghan artists including Yusuf Mahmoud (who has played internationally with artists such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) in the Queen’s Hall (24 Feb, 7pm) and the Reid Concert Hall (23 Feb, 4pm).
Among the photographers exhibiting in Edinburgh are Ivan Sigal (Internews), Aliki Sapountzi, Richard Stanley and Immo Horn.
Reel Afghanistan is an initiative of three UK based charities -
Afghan Schools Trust, Edinburgh University Settlement, and Firefly
International - set up to promote the culture of Afghanistan.
More info at www.reelafghanistan.org