The Great Game comes to London

The Great Game: Afghanistan Film Festival
Friday 1 to Sunday 10 May 2009
www.tricycle.co.uk/afghanistan

From Friday 1 to Sunday 10 May, the Tricycle Cinema is delighted to present The Great Game: Afghanistan Film Festival, a rich programme of features, shorts and documentaries - including 9 premieres and many live Q&A sessions – which give a celluloid glimpse into the joys, sorrows and adventures of everyday life in Afghanistan.

As awareness of Afghanistan seeps more into British news, so this timely festival opens up an exploration of the country’s history, culture and future. Playing as part of a larger festival including 15 newly commissioned plays, this film festival also stands alongside an exhibition of beautiful Istalif Ceramics, brought to the UK by Rory Stewart’s Turquoise Mountain (available to buy, see details below). The Tricycle will also host an exhibition of contemporary photography as well as the work of Afghan artists now based in Britain. Plus on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 May the Tricycle welcomes the Qawali Sham Sufi Group, rarely heard outside of Afghanistan, to play two live concerts.

Like the wider festival, the film festival encourages the exchange of ideas between artists and audiences through a series of Q&A sessions from visiting filmmakers. The film festival is delighted to welcome talent including Siddiq Barmak, Lucy Gordon, Liz Mermin, Phil Grabsky, Seema and Abdullah Shadaan, Immo Horn, Michael Winterbottom and Havana Marking to discuss their films following the screenings. Audiences can additionally further their knowledge and understanding of this complex country at the series of Talks lead by leading authorities: Masood Khalili on Tuesday 5 May, David Loyn on Monday 11 May and Christina Lamb on Monday 1 June (see below Talks information).

The Great Game: Afghanistan Film Festival opens on 1 May with Siddiq Barmak’s sardonic Opium War (Best Film, 2008 Rome Film Festival), a black comedy in which two American soldiers find themselves injured and stranded in an Afghan opium field after a helicopter crash, only to form an unlikely friendship with a group of locals living in an abandoned tank.

British director Lucy Gordon further explores this theme in her documentary This is My Destiny (7 May) in which the director investigates the stranglehold opium has on Afghanistan. From mothers in a Northern village using the drug to calm their crying babies, to long-term addicts in Kabul seeking help, Gordon’s film is a unique portrait of opium in modern Afghanistan.

A programme of shorts from the Afghan National Film Archives (4, 8 & 10 May) will also screen at the festival. During their rule, the Taliban destroyed hundreds of films, sweeping through the Archives and burning as many prints as they could find. The entire history of Afghan cinema might have been destroyed were it not for brave technicians who hid as many films as they could to preserve them for future audiences.

Also from the archive the festival gives a rare outing to Rabia Balkhi, Afghanistan’s first feature film made in 1965, which tells the story of the first and only queen of Afghanistan. The screening on 10 May will be attended by Abdullah and Seema Shadaan, co-stars of Rabia Balkhi, who met and fell in love on set.

German filmmaker Immo Horn travelled with director Richard Stanley to Afghanistan with a UN relief mission in 1998 to make Voice of the Moon, but the constraints of officialdom left the pair feeling restricted. They deserted camp and embedded with the Mujahedin for two months and were then able to capture footage that would normally have been inaccessible to Westerners. When Horn was injured in a bomb blast he had to be carried out on a donkey to safety into Pakistan. Unperturbed, the filmmakers returned the following year to complete the film and the Tricycle welcomes them to a Q&A following this screening on 3 May.

Phil Grabsky’s award-winning The Boy Who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan explores an act of devastation that shocked the world when, in 2001, the Taliban deliberately destroyed the magnificent Buddhas of Bamiyan. The two colossal statues had stood for centuries but were deemed to be idols, which were forbidden under Sharia law and thus dynamited by the Taliban. Phil Grabsky will discuss his work following the screening (6 May).

Liz Mermin’s Beauty Academy of Kabul (5 May) depicts rebuilding rather than destruction. It follows a group of American hairdressers who travel to Kabul to impart their knowledge of the latest hair fashions to their Afghan counterparts. With assumptions about Afghan women rife in Western culture, this film reveals inquisitive, amusing and intelligent women.

THE FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAMME:

OPENING FILM

Opium War plus Q&A with Siddiq Barmak
1 May 8.00pm
8 May 6.45pm (film only)
Winner of the Best Film award at the Rome Film Festival, Opium War tells the story of two American soldiers who accidentally crash their helicopter in the middle of a field of opium in Afghanistan. Playing on the difference of opinion on the drug in question between Americans and Afghans, the soldiers and the locals strike up an unlikely friendship that both supersedes and highlights the social divide. (dir. Siddiq Barmak 93mins)

FEATURE FILMS

Stray Dogs
1 May 2.30pm
7 May 2.30pm
Two siblings, their parents in jail, scavenge for food on the streets of Kabul. They rescue a dog and embark upon a life of crime. A sad, compelling and bleakly funny tale. (12A) (dir. Marziyeh Meshkini 92mins)

Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame
2 May 4.00pm
Baktay is a six year old girl who, after seeing a boy reading a book, becomes determined to go to school. Selling eggs to raise money for a notebook and using her mother’s lipstick as a writing implement she sets off, only to be terrorised by a gang of boys pretending to be the Taliban. (PG) (dir. Hana Makhmalbaf 77mins)

Kandahar
2 May 6.30pm
10 May 2.00pm
After an Afghanistan-born woman living in Canada receives a letter from her suicidal sister she takes a perilous journey through Afghanistan to try to find her. (PG) (dir. Mohsen Makhmalbaf 90mins)

Osama
3 May 5.45pm
A widow disguises her 12 year old daughter as a boy so that she can earn money for the family. (12A) (dir. Siddiq Barmak 83mins)

Kabuli Kid
4 May 2.30pm
The story of a taxi driver, navigating the streets of Kabul, whose life changes when one of his fares leaves behind a surprising bundle. (dir. Barmak Akram 97mins)

Earth and Ashes
4 May 6.45pm
9 May 6.30pm
Elderley Dastaguir and his five year old grandson Yassin hitchhike to a coal mine to inform Dastaguir’s son that the rest of his family have been killed in a recent bomb attack. (dir. Atiq Rahimi 105mins)

At Five in the Afternoon
6 May 4.00pm
Sneaking away from her religious school to a secular one, Noqreh is encouraged by her teacher to run for class president. She dreams of one day becoming the president of Afghanistan but clashes with her conservative father. (U) (dir. Samira Makhmalbaf 105mins)

DOCUMENTARIES

Afghan Star plus Q&A with Havana Marking
2 May 8.30pm
After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, Pop Idol has arrived in Afghanistan. Millions are watching the TV series ‘Afghan Star’ and voting for their favourite singers by mobile phone - for many this is their first encounter with democracy. This documentary follows the dramatic stories of 4 contestants as they risk all to become the nation’s favourite singer. (dir. Havana Marking 87mins)

Afghansti / Voice of the Moon plus Q&A with Voice of the Moon co-director Immo Horn
3 May, 7.30pm
Two contrasting documentaries about the beauty and brutality of life in Afghanistan. (Afghansti - dir. Peter Kosminsky 60mins) (Voice of the Moon - dir. Richard Stanley & Immo Horn 30mins)

View From a Grain of Sand
5 May 6.30pm
A thought-provoking and intimate film dealing with the plight of Afghan women over the last 30 years, from the rule of King Zahir Shah to the current Karzai government. (dir. Meena Nanji 82mins)

Beauty Academy of Kabul plus Q&A with director Liz Mermin
5 May 8.30pm
A poignant and humorous documentary about a group of American hairdressers travelling to Kabul to teach Afghan women the latest hairdressing fashions and techniques, Beauty Academy of Kabul is a fascinating look beyond our assumptions about women in Afghanistan. (dir. Liz Mermin 73mins)

Joy of Madness
6 May 6.30pm
The documentary of the filming of her sister Samira’s film At Five in the Afternoon. A fascinating insight into the tribulations of making a film in war torn and poverty stricken Kabul. (PG) (dir. Hana Makhmalbaf 70mins)

The Boy Who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan plus Q&A with Phil Grabsky
6 May 8.30pm
9 May 1.00pm (film only)
In 2001 the Taliban deliberately destroyed the magnificent Buddhas of Bamiyan that had stood for centuries and were a world heritage site. Hundreds of families, hoping to escape the brutality of the Taliban now live in caves among the statues’ ruins. As they eke out their existence, 8 year old Mir makes a playground of the ruins in this moving documentary. (PG) (dir. Phil Grabsky 98mins)

This Is My Destiny plus Q&A with director Lucy Gordon
7 May 8.30pm
A shocking documentary which provides a searing insight into the stranglehold of opium in Afghanistan. From mothers in a Northern village calming their crying babies with the drug to long-term addicts in Kabul seeking help, This is My Destiny is a unique portrait of modern Afghanistan. (dir. Lucy Gordon 68mins)

Cabal in Kabul
8 May 8.45pm
9 May 4.00pm
Isaac and Zebulon are the last two Jews living in the Islamic Afghan Republic, amid millions of impassioned Muslim neighbours. Dan Alexe’s documentary provides a character study of two highly anomalous and colourful individuals. (dir. Dan Alexe 86mins)

In This World plus Q&A with Michael Winterbottom
9 May 8.30pm
Michael Winterbottom’s BAFTA-winning docu-drama follows two Afghan teenagers as they escape from the Shamshatoo refugee camp in Pakistan. (15) (dir. Michael Winterbottom 88mins)

SHORTS

Shorts Programme 1
3 May 3.00pm
7 May 6.30pm

Kabul Cinema
A moving story of a young boy’s love of cinema in war torn Afghanistan. (dir. Mirwais Rekab 12mins)
+
Voice of the Moon
A beautiful visual description of Afghanistan, narrated through a poem. (dir. Richard Stanley & Immo Horn 30mins)
+
My Kabul
A taxi driver talks to his passengers as he drives around Kabul about their
experiences of the civil war and the Taliban in this revealing insight into life in Afghanistan. (dir. Waheed Nazir 30mins)

Short Programme 2 – Suitable for Children
2 May 1.00pm

Circus for Life
A delightful film set in an orphanage where children can learn circus skills.
(dir. Zahra Qadir 30mins)
+
Shelter
A poignant and wordless animation conveying the struggles faced by children
in Afghanistan. (dir. Mohsen Hosaini 12mins)

Short Programme 3 – Films from the Archive
4 May 8.45pm
8 May 2.30pm
10 May 4.45pm
An opportunity to view a selection of films from the Afghan National Film Archive which provide a unique insight into Afghanistan’s past. Titles include: Anthony Stern’s The Noon Gun (27mins) and Latif Ahmadi’s Akhtar the Joker (77mins)

FROM THE ARCHIVE

Rabia Balkhi plus Q&A with Seema and Abdullah Shadaan
10 May 6.45pm
A rare chance to see Afghanistan’s first feature film, made in 1965. This is
the story of the first and only queen of Afghanistan, Rabia Balkhi. (dir. Abdullah Shadaan 180mins)

EXHIBITIONS

Curated by Rory Stewart’s Turquoise Mountain, Istalif Ceramics (Tuesday 14 April to Monday 11 May) showcases beautifully decorated bowls made using ancient techniques and locally sourced clay from Istalif, a village near Kabul. The ceramics will be on sale, supporting the growing community of potters who work in Istalif. See www.turquisemountain.org

Contemporary Afghan Photography (Tuesday 12 to Sunday 31 May) depicts current images of Afghanistan. Three outstanding Afghan photographers: Imal Hashemi, Gulbuddin Elham and Wakil Kohsar all provide a fresh view of their country, from the aftermath of suicide bombs to fishing, leather-tanning and the perilous horseback sport Buzkashi. Framed prints certified by the photographers will also be on sale.

Afghan Artists in Britain (Monday 1 to Saturday 20 June) affords festival-goers the opportunity to see works by artists and young people who were born in Afghanistan and now reside in Britain, celebrating the migration of Afghans to Britain and the creative output of these artists in Britain.

CONCERTS

The Tricycle will host the Qawali Sham Sufi Group during the festival. Having performed together for over 30 years and featuring an array of instruments rarely heard outside of Afghanistan, the Qawali Sham Sufi Group form part of a vibrant Afghan musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years. The group will be performing on Monday 4 May at 7.30pm and Tuesday 5 May at 9.00pm. Tickets £14.00/£12.00

DISCUSSIONS

Preceded by Naomi Wallace’s new play No Such Cold Thing, the Tricycle will host a discussion on the current situation in Afghanistan, and Britain’s role in it, on Tuesday 12, Tuesday 19 and Tuesday 26 May at 8.00pm. Panellists include: Mohammad Asif, Tony Benn, Clare Short, Sir Menzies Campbell, Matthew Leeming and Bijan Omrani (co-authors of ‘Companion Guide to Afghanistan’), Dominic O’Reilly (Director: Afghan Aid), Matthew Waldman (Director: Oxfam Afghanistan) and Jolyon Leslie (co-author: ‘Afghanistan: Mirage of Peace’). Tickets £5.00.

TALKS

Masood Khalili - Tuesday 5 May, 7.15pm
Masood Khalili son of the famous poet, political advisor to Commander Massoud, Afghan Ambassador- Turkey. Tickets £5.00

David Loyn - Monday 11 May, 8.00pm.
David Loyn was the BBC’s South Asia Correspondent from 1993. He was the only journalist with the Taliban when they took Kabul, and is the author of ‘Butcher and Bolt’. Tickets £5.00

Christina Lamb - Monday 1 June 8pm.
Christina Lamb best-selling author of ‘The Sewing Circles of Herat’ & Sunday Times Foreign Affairs Correspondent. Tickets £5.00

Notes

1. “The Great Game” was a term used for the strategic rivalry and conflict between the British Empire and the Russian Empire for supremacy in Central Asia. The classic Great Game period is generally regarded as running approximately from the Russo-Persian Treaty of 1813 to the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907. Following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 a second less intensive phase followed. The term “The Great Game” was introduced into mainstream consciousness by British novelist Rudyard Kipling in his novel ‘Kim’ (1901).

2. Prices for the Istalif Ceramics are colour-coordinated, relating to a price scale as follows:
Purple = £15 (80 bowls)
White = £25 (120 bowls)
Turquoise = £30 (38 bowls)

3. Prints from Contemporary Afghan Photography will be on sale at £300 each, framed and with a signed certificate from the photographer.