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Films and Videos about Afghanistan

FIlm and Video Librarian

Danette Pachtner

Danette Pachtner
danette.p@duke.edu
Phone: 919-660-5886
Fax: 919-660-5999
Lilly Library, Box 90725
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708

This is a selected list of  films about Afghanistan that can be checked out or viewed at Lilly Library on Duke's East Campus. Most entries contain the film's title, director, and call number. Please note that some of these films may have limited circulation and must be watched in the library.

For more information about a specific film, please check the Duke Libraries Catalog.

For information on loan periods, fines, and other policies, please see Lilly Library's Film and Video Circulation Policy.

Filmography

Afghan massacre [videorecording] : the convoy of death / an ACF production ; produced & directed by Jamie Doran., Atlantic Celtic Films,. VC 11006

Explores U.S. Special Forces role in the massacre of about 3,000 unarmed Taliban prisoners of war in Afghanistan from the battle of Mazar-e-Sharif by Northern Alliance soldiers. The prisoners were killed while traveling in sealed containers on their way from Konduz to a prison at Sheberghan. The bodies of the dead and some who survived were then buried in a mass grave at nearby Dasht Leile. Discusses the massacre and its implications and why there's been no investigation into suspected war crimes.

Afghan nomads-- the Maldar [videorecording] / an American Universities Field Staff presentation ; filmmakers, David Hancock, Herbert DiGioia ; producer, Norman Miller., Documentary Educational Resources,. VC 11740

Shows the mixture of faith and distrust that have kept nomads and sedentarists separate yet interdependent over the centuries.

An Afghan village [videorecording] : Aq Kupruk / an American Universities Field Staff presentation ; filmmakers, David Hancock, Herbert DiGioia ; producer, Norman Miller., Documentary Educational Resources,. VC 11114

Presents a collage of daily life in Aq Kupruk including the single voice calling townspeople to prayer, the brisk exchange of the bazaar, communal labor, and the uninhibited sports and enertainment of rural Afghans.

Afghan women : [videorecording] / American Universities Field Staff ; filmmakers, Josephine Powell, Nancy Hatch Dupree ; producer, Norman Miller., Documentary Educational Resources,. VC 11113

The words of the women of Aq Kupruk, Afghanistan and the rhythm of their lives in seclusion suggest both satisfying and limiting aspects of the women's role in an Afghan rural community.

Afghanistan [videorecording] : captives of the warlords / with Arthur Kent., Filmakers Library,. VC 10358

As Afghanistan's extremist Taliban regime shocks the world , Canadian journalist Arthur Kent returns to Afghanistan, with a hidden camera. He compares the harsh reality of life for Afghans today with scenes from a bitter history. Lifting the veil on Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime the film reveals: teachers and students who actively defy Taliban edicts against female education in secret "home schools;" women who speak out against harsh segregation, and face death threats for appealing for the right to go back to work; warlords who claim they're cracking down on drug trafficking while poppy cultivation and opium smuggling thrives; the Taliban's Religious Police and their ban against television cameras; desperate Afghan families who labor to rebuild their farms, even though continuing fighting may well wipe out their gains; the forces that warn of the export of terrorism as they continue to finance the combatants.

Afghanistan [videorecording] : exporting the Taliban Revolution / Films for the Humanities & Sciences., Films for the Humanities & Sciences,. VC 10455

Takes a firsthand look at the results and implications of the escalating tensions between Afghanistan and its neighbors.

Afghanistan [videorecording] : the lost truth / a perspective by Yassamin Malekhasr ; Women Make Movies ; produced and directed by Yassamin Malekhasr., Women Make Movies,. VC 11917

This is an unprecedented journey across Afghanistan. Despite the turmoil and suffering they have endured, the women, men, and children hold on to their hopes for the future. This film captures subtle facial expressions, architectural grandeur, and landscape of disarming beauty, painting a vivid portrait of both Afghan people and their country.

Afghanistan revealed [videorecording] / producer, writer, Richard MacKenzie., National Geographic : Warner Home Video : Distributed by Questar Video,. VC 10087

Provides a vivid portrait of Afghanistan, featuring in-depth interviews with the late Afghan resistance leader Ahman Shad Massoud, and Taliban soldiers being held by the NOrthern Alliance; and looks at refugees who speak of their suffering from the effects of Taliban rule.

Afghanistan unveiled [videorecording] = Regards D'Afghanes / a film by Brigitte Brault & Aina Women Filming Group., Distributed by Women Make Movies,. VC 11918

This film is shot by Afghan camera women traveling across Afghanistan offering unparalleled access to other Afghan women. The documentary traces the effects of the repressive rule of the Taliban on women and the recent U.S.-sponsored bombing campaign.

Amir [videorecording] : an Afghan refugee musician's life in Peshawar, Pakistan / National Film and Television School in association with the Royal Anthropological Institute ; directed and edited by John Baily., Documentary Educational Resources [distributor],. VC8539

Musician Amir Mohammad moved from Herat, Afghanistan to Peshawar, Pakistan in 1979 as a result of the Marxist regime and civil war in his homeland. Through him viewers are introduced both to Afghan music and to the poverty and isolation faced by refugees. In the accompanying booklet, ethnomusicologist John Baily discusses the making of a documentary film as a form of research and fieldwork.

The awful truth [videorecording] : the complete first season / written and directed by Michael Moore ; producer Ellin Baumel., New Video,. VC11442

Shot in his trademark "guerilla video" style, each episode is filled with observations that bridge comedy and controversy and places Michael Moore in the middle of today's hot topics.

Balancing acts [videorecording]  / produced by Di Tatham ; directed by Beena Sarwar...[et al]  Bullfrog Films.  DVD 6177

In Pakistan, seventeen-year-old Hina is challenging tradition to complete her education. In Afghanistan, returning refugees like Maa Gul want the government to honor their right to shelter. In Kenya, Rose, who is HIV positive, is championing rights to independence for widows. And in Nigeria, market trader Tematayo is demanding the government acknowledge her worth as a successful businesswoman.

The beauty academy of Kabul [videorecording]  / a Noble Enterprise production, in association with the BBC, Discovery Communications, Inc. and Wellspring Media ; director and editor, Liz Mermin ; producers, Nigel Noble and Liz Mermin.  DVD 5077

Documentary about a group of American hairdressers who opened a beauty academy in post-Taliban Kabul. The six teachers were all volunteers; three had fled Afghanistan over 20 years ago.

Beneath the veil [videorecording] / Hardcash Productions ; Channel Four Television Corp. ; executive producer, David Henshaw ; produced and directed by Cassian Harrison., Cable News Network,. VC 9899

A report on current conditions in Afghanistan. The program focuses on the harsh version of Islamic law that has been imposed on Afghanistan by the Taliban, which controls most of the country.

Breaking the silence [videorecording] : truth and lies in the war on terror / a special report by John Pilger ; Carlton Television Ltd. ; written, reported & directed by John Pilger ; producer, Christopher Martin., Bullfrog Films,. VC 11607

In 2001, as the bombs began to drop, George W. Bush promised Afghanistan "the generosity of America and its allies". Now, the familiar old warlords are regaining power, religious fundamentalism is renewing its grip and military skirmishes continue routinely. In "liberated" Afghanistan, America has its military base and pipeline access, while the people have the warlords who are, says one woman, "in many ways worse than the Taliban".

Dateline Afghanistan : reporting the forgotten war [videorecording]   / producer and director, Bill Gentile ; executive producer, Larry Kirkman.  School of Communication at American University.  DVD 8523

As the United States and its allies engage in a continuing battle to free Afghanistan of its ties to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, many journalists from around the world cover the ongoing conflict. Go inside the ranks of these brave men and women as they risk their lives to present the truth of what’s really going on today.

Die Reise nach Kafiristan [videorecording] = The Journey to Kafiristan / Dubini Filmproduktion, Koln ; Tre Valli Filmproduktion, Zurich ; Artcam, the Netherlands, Arnhem ; Media Luna Entertainment., Picture This! Home Video,. DVD In process—please request

Two women travel by car from Geneva, Switzerland to Kabul, Afghanistan on the brink of World War II. Annemarie Schwarzenbach is an androgynous, morphine addicted writer. Ella Maillart is an ethnologist in search of a tribe of nomads who are said to live in the caves of Kafiristan Valley.

Empowerment through unity : Pani Milan, strategies to create a network of grassroots women in the Himalayas.  [videorecording]  International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.  VC 12252

Documentary of the regional workshop on the social conditions of the women group HIMAWANTI succeeded in bringing together over 200 women throughout the Hindu-Kush-Himalayas.

Escape from Afghanistan [videorecording] / [presented by] New Concorde and Iscona Film Company ; producers, John Carrington, Peter Yeliferekno, Maria Abakirova ; writers, Timour Bekmambetov, Richard Williams, Rauf Kubayev ; directors, Timour Bekmambetov, Gennady Kayumov., New Concorde,. DVD 2163

Interviewing Soviet prisoners somewhere near the Afghanistan border, American photojournalist Charlie Palmer and Dr. Victor Davis are caught in a violent insurrection where the lines between friends and foes are blurred and smashed. While Davis attends to the wounded and dying, Palmer weaves in and out of the bloodshed with his camera, capturing every moment of heroism, betrayal and confusion.

Escape from Taliban [videorecording] : a true story / ESC Films ; director, Ujjal Chaterjee ; story, Sushmita Banerjee ; producers, Ashok Khemka, Vijay Nopany., Eros Entertainment, Inc.,. DVD 4069

A riveting drama that confronts the unspeakable truth of Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban --Cover.

The global addiction [videorecording] / a presentation of Films for the Humanities & Sciences ; a Journeyman Pictures production., Films for the Humanities & Sciences,. VC 8860

(Producer) Studies the drug industry in Colombia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Burma, where U.N. crop substitution programs are thwarted by governments unwilling or unable to crack down on drug production, and by drug lords who use incentives and coercion to increase drug crop yields.

Great decisions 2003 [videorecording] / KET, the Kentucky Network ; produced by the Foreign Policy Association and the State University of NY, Neil D. Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce ; executive producer, Ann A. MacFarlane ; producer, Andrew P. Aurbach ; director, Dave Schrader ; writer, Terry Irving., Foreign Policy Association,. VC 11797

Discussions of eight major foreign policy issues facing the United States in 2003.

Great events #2 [videorecording] / ITN Archives., Films for the Humanities & Sciences,. VC 9493

Provides varied newsreel footage including scenes of helicopters lifting off from the U.S. Embassy after the fall of Saigon, IRA terrorists throwing hand grenades at a funeral, attempts to quell oil well fires in Kuwait, footage of the civil war in Nigeria and the Falkland Islands War, the aftermath of the explosion of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the fall of Vukovar to Serb forces, the siege of Dubrovnik, and civil war in the Republic of Georgia.

The ground truth [videorecording]  / produced and directed by Patricia Foulkrod.  Universal Studios Home Entertainment.  DVD 7878.

Documents the stories of American men and women who heeded the call for military service in Afghanistan and Iraq and the challenges they faced upon their return home.

Guerrilla wars, 1973 / [videorecording] / a co-production of WGBH Boston and the BBC ; produced and directed by Bill Treharne Jones., PBS Video,. VC 9678

Examines how highly motivated guerrillas have organized revolts that eventually defeated large well-equipped governments. Using interviews and archival footage this film examines the Cuban revolution, America's futile struggle in Vietnam and the Soviet Union's equally unsuccessful attempts to control Afghanistan.

Guerrilla wars, 1973 [videorecording] / a co-production of WGBH Boston and the BBC ; produced and directed by Bill Treharne Jones., WGBH Boston Video,. VC 8009

Talks about how small groups of dedicated men could organize revolts that eventually would bring down large well-equipped governments. Tells about the Cuban revolution, America's futile struggle in Vietnam and the Soviet Union's equally unsuccessful attempts to control Afghanistan.

The Horsemen [videorecording] / Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video,. VC 11957

As the son of the greatest horseman in Afghanistan, Uraz journeys through this world trying to live up to the reputation of his father, while forging his own identity in the eyes of his fellow tribesmen.

In this world [videorecording] / a Sundance Channel Pictures release ; the Film Consortium and BBC Films in association with the Film Council and the Works present a Revolution Films production ; a Michael Winterbottom film ; produced by Andrew Eaton & Anita Overland ; written by Tony Grisoni ; directed by Michael Winterbottom., Showtime Entertainment,. DVD4285

The hazardous journey of two Afghan boys as they travel from Pakistan through Iran, Turkey, Italy, France and the UK in search of refuge in London, revealing the desperate measures people take to escape persecution and life-threatening conditions.

Indian journeys [videorecording] / written and presented by William Dalrymple ; an Icon Films production for BBC Manchester and CTVC., Filmakers Library,. VC 9138

Layer upon layer of archaeological ruins in India mirror its history of religious strife. Historian William Dalrymple guides viewers through the remains of edifices in the City of Delhi that played a role in religious confrontations. He shows where the Muslim Turks from Afghanistan built their mosque from the ruins of Hindu temples. Hindus and Muslims were always at war with only Sufism, a mystical religion of Persia, able to span the two religions. Currently the BJP, the right wing Hindu Nationalist party, threatens warfare against the Muslims. Will India be able to survive in an age of fundamentalism?

Jimmy Carter [videocassette] / produced by Anthony Potter Productions in association with the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution and the Trust for the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution., The Commission ; Media Associates [distributor],. VC 2671

President Carter discusses the presidency from the perspective of a Washington outsider who sought to make human rights a centerpiece of his administration. Carter reflects upon the nature of presidential leadership, illustrated by the Camp David accords, the Iran hostage crisis, the Panama Canal Treaty, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the energy crisis.

Jung [videorecording] = (War) : In the land of the Mujaheddin / a film by Fabrizio Lazzaretti, Alberto Vendemmiati., Karousel,. VC 10949

In 1999, a surgeon and a war correspondent join forces to found a hospital in Afghanistan, a country that has been devastated by civil and border wars for the last twenty years.

Kandahar [videorecording] : journey into the heart of Afghanistan / [presented by] Avatar Films ; produced by Makhmalbaf Film House, BAC Films and Studio Canal+ ; screenplay by Mohsen Makhmalbaf ; directed & edited by Mohsen Makhmalbaf., New Yorker Video,. DVD 1792

Nafas, an Afghan-born Canadian journalist, returns to her homeland in a desperate attempt to reach her sister, who, overcome with grief after being injured by a landmine and her despair over the Taliban's oppression of women, has vowed that she will commit suicide at the time of the next solar eclipse, only three days away.

Khuda gawah = God is my witness [videorecording] / Glamour Films presents ; written by Santosh Saroj ; produced by Manoj Desai, Nazir Ahmed ; directed by Mukul S. Anand., Scarecrow Video,. VC 6262

Pathan leader Badshah Khan must leave his kingdom in Afghanistan and journey to India. His quest is to behead the man who killed the father of Benazir, the leader of the rival clan and the stealer of Badshah's heart. For 25 years and a generation of two families, Badshah Khan attempts to fulfill his destiny and bring an end to the war between his clan and Benazir's, while remaining an honorable Pathan.

Motherland Afghanistan [videorecording]   / a film by Sedika Mojadidi.  First Run Icarus Films.  DVD 7966

Afghanistan today has the second highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. Filmmaker Sedika Mojadidi reveals the extent of this tragedy by documenting the 2003 return to Afghanistan of her father, an OB/GYN who emigrated to the U.S. in 1972, as he attempts to rehabilitate Kabul’s Rabia Balkhi Hospital with the promised support of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services.

National prayer service [videorecording] / C-Span., National Cable Satellite Corp.,. VC 10047

President Bush, several former presidents, and other dignitaries gathered in recognition of a National Day of Prayer and rememberance for victims, family members and rescue workers of New York and Washington terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The event included several patriotic songs and devotional music as well as remarks by leaders of several different faith groups.

No man's land [videorecording] : women frontline journalists / directed, produced, written by Shelley Saywell ; produced by Bishari Film Productions Inc. in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation., First Run/Icarus Films,. VC 5410

Profiles members of a truly rare breed -- women war correspondents. The film focuses on Janine de Giovanni, an American reporter who covers Sarajevo for London's Sunday Times, and Lyse Doucet who covers the "forgotten war" in Afghanistan for the BBC. As they and others speak of their experiences and personal sacrifices, many common traits are revealed. Paints a gripping portrait of women who have staked places in a traditionally male profession.

Operation Enduring Freedom [videorecording] : America fights back / Enduring Freedom Productions., Artisan Home Entertainment,. DVD 1994

Reviews the escalating actions of the United States in Afghanistan, using airstrikes and other tactics to eliminate the Taliban and its leader, Osama bin Laden, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Osama [videorecording]. Metro Goldwyn Mayer Home Entertainment,. DVD 2986

This powerful and remarkable drama chronicles the true story of a young girl in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan who must disguise herself as a boy to save her family from starvation. The first feature film made in Afghanistan in the post-Taliban era.

Panah [videorecording] / by Shahid Kazmi. Shalimar Recording Company.  VC 12042

A Pakistan Television Urdu drama on the agonies and sufferings of Afghan refugees due to Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. (In Urdu with no subtitles.)

The prayers of the warlord [videorecording] / a Dizzy Productions film ; produced, filmed and directed by Pascale Bourgaux and Andrew Driver., Filmakers Library,. VC11882

A documentary profiling a feudal lord, Mamour Hasan, who currently governs 50,000 people in Dash-Te-Qalah, in the northeast corner of Afghanistan.

Reports from Iran and Afghanistan, 1980 [videorecording] / produced by Downtown Community Television., Downtown Community TV Center,. VC 4924

Rudyard Kipling's The man who would be king [videorecording] / Emanuel L. Wolf presents an Allied Artists film ; a John Huston-John Foreman film ; screenplay by John Huston and Gladys Hill ; produced by John Foreman ; directed by John Huston., Warner Home Video,. VC 6212

Danny Dravot and Peachy Carnehan leave 19th century India and set out for the isolated, primitive land of Kafiristan, whose people haven't seen an outsider in hundreds of years. Peachy becomes lord of the kingdom's treasury, a huge chamber spilling over with limitless gold and priceless rare jewels. Danny is first crowned king, then, declared a god.

Search for freedom [videorecording] / written, directed, and produced by Munizae Jahangir ; mj Productions., Women Make Movies,. VC 11916

"Traces the dramatic social and political history of Afghanistan from the 1920s to the present through the stories of four remarkable women: Princess Shafiqa Saroj, sister of the beloved progressive King Amanullah (1919-1929); Mairman Parveen, the first woman to sing on Afghan radio; Moshina, a war widow and survivor of a Taliban massacre; and Sohaila, an exiled medical student who ran underground schools for RAWA (Revolutionary Association of Afghan Women) during the Taliban regime."--www.wmm.com.

Shroud of silence [videorecording] : gender apartheid in Afghanistan / produced by Lorraine Sheinberg for the Feminist Majority Foundation., Feminist Majority Foundation,. VC 10038

Documentary video presenting the current condition of women and girls under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Spiritual Voices From the diaries of war, a narration in five episodes [videorecording]  / a film by Alexander Sokurov.  Facets Video.  DVD 4909

Documentary about the desolute and dangerous lives of the Russian soldiers stationed along Tajikistan-Afghanistan border.

State of the Talib [videorecording] / a Journeyman Pictures production., Lucerne Media [distributor],. VC 10387

This documentary traces the history of the Taliban from its rise to power in 1996 to its dominance over the Afghan population. Through interviews with Afghan civilians and refugees this program examines the ideology and objectives of this militant Islamic organization and the tactics they use that often violate human rights and are contrary to the beliefs of many who follow the Islamic religion.

The Taliban legacy [videorecording] / a film by Montse Ayuso, Joan Salvat and Lluisa Roca., Filmakers Library,. VC 10359

A report on current conditions in Afghanistan. The program focuses on the havoc created by the Taliban regime, which has resulted in two million Afghans fleeing the country.

This is how we live. Homecoming [videocassette] / Citizen Exchange Council (New York) in association with The American-Soviet Film Initiative (Moscow), Video Project,. VC 3098

This is how we live: A look at the alienation of many Soviet young people. (30 min.) 1987.--Homecoming: Veterans of the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan returned home with unresolved feelings about a demoralizing and unpopular war. The first film to document the human impact of the Afghan war. (17 min.) 1987.

Widening Horizons [videorecording] / produced by Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) for International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists,. VC 11571

Regional Workshop on the Role of Local, Elected Institutions in Community Forestry Management in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas, 16-21 March, 1998, Kathmandu, Nepal.

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