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“A documentary you can’t miss. Since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, Afghanistan has been remaking itself. The presidential elections of 2004 and the new legislature of 2005 are evidence of the democratic process to which the country is committed. Kabul, the capital, is today a hive of activity, and the press has attained some freedom. Afghan Chronicles focuses on the press group Killid Media, which comprises two magazines (Killid and Mursal, a women’s publication) and a radio station. The documentary reveals how this media phenomenon operates, and in so doing it portrays the rebuilding of a country that dreams of a better future, and presents the vital issues with which this reborn society must contend. In the midst of this huge reconstruction boom, Afghan Chronicles shows the rifts in a changing society. The magazine Killid, founded to be an engine of change, carries a message of liberation from the bonds of the past and seeks new freedom of action. With its popular and accessible content, this new media venture, in which women play a leading role, combats illiteracy and ignorance. Confronting prejudices and taboos, the documentary chronicles changing attitudes in a country moving towards modernity while remaining deeply attached to the values of its culture. As it follows the distribution of the weekly Killid throughout the city, Afghan Chronicles reveals the reality of this emerging nation. Dominic Morissette ’s tactful but searching camera shifts between sequences shot in the streets of Kabul and more private interviews in which individual Afghans tell us of their hopes and fears. Achievements are still fragile. Growing insecurity and flagrant social inequality hold the threat of a return by the Taliban: what will become of the dreams cherished by this land trying to rebuild itself? Information also available on NFB’s web site: |
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