Kandahar is a name you have probably heard a lot lately. It's the southern Afghan city that up until a few days ago was the stronghold of the Taliban. It was also the last city to fall to U.S.-backed opposition forces in Afghanistan.
But "Kandahar" is also the name of a new movie from acclaimed Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Despite its title, it's not a documentary, nor is it intended to make a political statement about the current war in Afghanistan.
Originally entitled "The Sun Behind the Moon," "Kandahar" tells a fictional story based on the true-life account of Niloufar Pazira, an Afghan journalist now living in Canada. Several years ago, Pazira returned to her native land in an attempt to save a girlfriend who had grown so despondent living under the oppressive Taliban regime that she was contemplating suicide. Pazira's journey serves as the inspiration for the film.
"It is not a political look at Afghanistan ... it is more of a humanitarian story," said Pazira, who also made her acting debut by playing herself in the movie. "The idea behind the making of the film was we really wanted the world to begin to recognize that there is a country called Afghanistan and this country has been completely destroyed by war and people have been devastated. And the world ignored it."
Indeed, the film was shot about a year before the world turned its attention to the remote nation. And Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network are not key players in "Kandahar." Instead, the film focuses on the individual struggles of the citizens in a nation that has been ravaged by more than 10 years of civil war, droughts, and starvation.
What makes "Kandahar" so extraordinary is not just that it was filmed almost on location (at a town bordering on Afghanistan) but that it employed no professional actors. Director Makhmalbaf recruited locals to more or less play themselves as Pazira made her fictional search for her friend. As a result, much of the dialogue is improvised by the players.
Though the film explores the plight of women in Afghan culture in depth, it also highlights the desperation felt by so many in that society. Every day, it seems, is a struggle to survive in Afghanistan.
"Kandahar" opens December 14 in New York City and will open in other major and mid-size cities throughout the nation in coming weeks.
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MTV News Staff report
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