Kandahar is based on the true story of an Afghan woman who had escaped the Taliban to become a journalist in Canada, and then attempted to return to save a despairing friend (her sister, for the movie) who had threatened suicide. That fact, along with the non-professional cast and stretches of halting English dialogue, gives the piece a semi-documentary feel: what in theatre terms might be called a rehearsed reading, were it not for the fact that much of the narrative was improvised while Makhmalbaf traveled with his crew around the Afghan border.
As it's dangerous for a woman to travel alone in Afghanistan, an ensemble of characters - each with their own story - guides Nafas. Their tales give a bleak insight into life under the Taliban regime.
Encompassing themes including poverty, hunger, the treatment of women, and landmines, Mohsen successfully merges fiction and fact to produce some astonishing imagery - a group of one-legged men race off on their crutches toward a load of prosthetic limbs being parachuted down from the sky; a man drapes his wife's dress over a pair of prosthetic legs to ensure that she gets the right fit. These surreal scenes clearly illustrate the reality and horrors of war.
Mohsen's portrayal of Afghanistan is one of unrelenting sadness. It's impossible not to emerge from this movie and wonder about the plight of the Afghan people today.
Date: Thursday September 7, 2006
Time: 8:00 pm
Place: Access Art Gallery
This night will also be a good opportunity to view the fantastic house collection by amazing local and regional artists such as Timothy Charles, Elisa Lejuez, Nancy Hernandez, Jean Girigori, Nia Halima, Adolfo Valbuena, Greg Carvalhal, Belinda de Veer, Alfonso de Windt as well as other exquisite works exhibited in the gallery.
A donation to the Pro Crea Foundation will be highly appreciated.
Remember that it is now possible to grab a bite at the Access café “Café al Fresco” before the film presentation.
For more information call: 5887837
