What We Left Unfinished
Afghanistan, Qatar, USA • 2019Utterly unique in film history, Mariam Ghani's archival marvel WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED is a probing and engrossing case study in censorship, authoritarianism, and political art. Thirty years after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent civil war, during a new era of political uncertainty for the embattled nation, WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED looks closely at the era of state-funded Afghan filmmaking during the country’s Communist era, bringing together dozens of writers, actors, and filmmakers to discuss five unfinished, unedited projects produced between 1978 and 1991.
After each regime change, leaders always saw propagandistic potential in Kabul’s rich filmgoing culture and the high quality of Afghan filmmaking. Scenes from the five never-before-seen films, beautifully restored, testify to the immense resources provided to filmmakers willing to play by certain rules. The studio politics and mishaps that accompany any film’s production here rise to the level of life-and-death conflict, as filmmakers recall coming up against the censorship of an authoritarian government, as well as unceasing threats of violence. Depicting the censorship process with astounding detail, WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED raises potent, eternally relevant questions about art and politics, the freedom of speech, and what happens when the truth becomes a bargaining chip.
Mariam Ghani, the accomplished visual artist and a longtime advocate for film conservation, makes a passionate and personal feature directorial debut. Selected by the Berlin Film Festival, DOC NYC, and Il Cinema Ritrovato, WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED is an unsettling and brilliantly researched exposé which will prove disquieting to filmmakers and audiences alike.
Written & Directed by: Mariam Ghani
Starring: Latif Ahmadi, Jawanshir Haidari, Asadollah Aram
Run time: 71 minutes
Language: Dari, English
Subtitles: English
Color: Color
Format: 1.85:1
Sound: 5.1
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PAST SCREENINGS
a/perture cinema Winston-Salem, NC • Amherst Cinema Amherst, MA • Ann Arbor Film Festival Ann Arbor, MI • BAMPFA Berkeley, CA • Blaffer Art Museum Houston, TX • Brattle Theatre Cambridge, MA • ByTowne Cinema Ottawa, ON • Cinema Lamont Detroit, MI • Cinemapolis Ithaca, NY • cinéSPEAK Philadelphia, PA • Cleveland Cinematheque Cleveland, OH • Darkside Cinema Corvallis, OR • DCTV New York, NY • DocNYC New York, NY • Enzian Theater Maitland, FL • Epsilon Spires Brattleboro, VT • Gateway Film Center Columbus, OH • Gene Siskel Film Center Chicago, IL • Hayesville Opera House Hayesville, OH • Heartland International Film Festival Indianapolis, IN • Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Hot Springs, AR • Laemmle Playhouse Pasadena, CA • Laemmle Theaters Los Angeles, CA • Lightbox Film Center Philadelphia, PA • Lumiere Cinema Beverly Hills, CA • Maysles Documentary Center New York, NY • Metropolitan Museum New York, NY • Minneapolis Film Society Minneapolis, MN • Monica Film Center Santa Monica, CA • Montclair Film Montclair, NJ • Nashville Film Festival Nashville, TN • New Plaza Cinema New York, NY • Nightlight Cinema Akron, OH • Northwest Film Forum Seattle, WA • Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival Philadelphia, PA • Rhode Island International Film Festival Newport, RI • Row House Cinema Pittsburgh, PA • Roxie Theater San Francisco, CA • Salem Cinema Salem, OR • Salt Lake Film Society Salt Lake City, UT • San Diego Asian Film Festival San Diego, CA • San Francisco Film Festival San Francisco, CA • Saint Louis International Film Festival Saint Louis, MO • Smith Rafael Film Center San Rafael, CA • Speed Art Museum Louisville, KY • Suns Cinema Washington D.C. • Syndicated Brooklyn, NY • Tasveer South Asian Film Festival Seattle, WA • The Future Of Film Is Female Brooklyn, NY • The Loft Tucson, AZ • UW Cinematheque Madison, WI • Varsity Theatre Davis, CA • Women Filmmakers Festival Washington D.C.
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