The film had a beginning but no end
I was the cinematographer
But even I couldn't figure out how the film would have ended
It was lost on me too
Because as we were shooting everything changed
One coup led to another
The Parcham faction came to power and confiscated the film
It was about an intelligence war
against foreign spies and drug smugglers
But it also had a very sweet love story
I don't think I ever shot the beginning, just the middle
I'd only shot 20-30% when the regime changed
but the reels should still be here
It's been a long time since I made that film
But since I was the director, I remember
It was about two lovers from a village
separated by the feud between their clans
The girl was from one ethnicity and the boy from another
And her family forbade her to marry that boy
The families, the feud, it was like a novel
And naturally, as a government film, the script portrayed
the mujahideen fighting the government as bad or weak
I wanted to make a film about a critical issue
To ask why drugs were being smuggled out of Afghanistan
and to show the roles played by both
international and local mafias in the trafficking system
My film was about the Afghan heroin trade
and the people who worked in it
How these people were being used and
the role the mujahideen played
There were artist unions in Afghanistan then
And I was elected to lead the cinematographers union
I had a diplomatic passport
The government valued artists that much
I was 14 when I started in film
But by doing this, I lost my entire family
At the time there was only a tiny group
of 'enlightened' or educated women
I thought we could make a difference
and work with cinema towards a society
where women gained their rights and freedom
The government of that time paid special attention to cinema
They gave you cash
They would support a film from every angle
They knew that these films also served them as propaganda
Just what did the government want to convey to the people
through film?
They wanted to show that the Communist system
was for the defense and betterment of the people
That's what they wanted
Regarding my films, my conscience is still clear
Because I've never lied in my films
Intuition and emotion guided my films
And sometimes they also fit the context
because I wanted to create a visual history
Like a person who sits in the corner
and records all the events and tragedies of history
That was my goal as a filmmaker
(Radio Broadcast) Dear countrymen
For the first time in Afghanistan's history
The last remnants of the tyrannical monarchy are gone
And the power of the royal family finished
The People's Democratic Party now holds all state power
- Who is it? - Look, Homaira
It's Hamid
Hamid, my son
Homaira, what's wrong?
Tell me, why are you scared?
Hamid, don't you hear that?
Yes. It's the revolution
27 April 1978
Kabul on the first day of the revolution
The monarchy's bad decisions led to Daoud's 1973 coup
which led to the Communist coup
The problems built up over time
And eventually led to all the bloodshed
On the day of the coup, when President Daoud was killed
I was here at Afghan Film
It was bad, we were trapped
We had to sneak out the back
We left and headed towards home
When they attacked and
ruthlessly killed President Daoud
I went to the Dilkusha Palace in the Presidential compound
I wanted to film it
I wanted to show the injustice of the Communists
I shot the table where they'd all been eating
Where the Communists had shot them all
The plates, the food - everything was blown to bits
It was a slaughterhouse, barbaric
I filmed it all
But it was all confiscated by the Soviets and lost
In my opinion, the April Revolution of 1978
was one of the only historical windows of opportunity
for art and culture to take root in Afghanistan
It was a very open, hopeful time for all cultural pursuits
We never felt short of funding for our films
because the government made everything available to us
The Afghan National Security Forces were at our disposal
From airplanes to cannons to tanks - whatever we needed
Explosives were still very new for us in that film
We set off eight explosions
and in each explosion, we destroyed a car
These were created strategically with petrol and gunpowder
And the man in charge of the explosions and special effects
He wasn't exactly an expert either
In one scene I was playing the commander of a platoon
along with 30-40 soldiers
We had surrounded an enemy compound
We were firing at it with Kalashnikovs
When the director shouted "Cut!" we stopped firing
But we could still hear the sound of Kalashnikovs
We turned around and saw that the real enemy had surrounded us
and were firing up at the compound wall
We all got very nervous, ducked behind the wall
and aimed our Kalashnikovs over it
Whatever we had, we fired at them
It was interesting
because everyone playing soldiers in that scene
were real soldiers and veterans
I was the only actor
So in that scene, were you firing real bullets?
Yes, they were real because one of our enemies was wounded
He got hit and we heard him cry out in pain
Eventually they fled and army tanks rescued us
Why real bullets?
Because there weren't any blanks available
Sometimes, very rarely, you would find them
but for the most part we used real bullets
He's trying to climb to the top of a hill
so he can launch a grenade
But as he was climbing, real bullets were flying around him
The bullets flew, but we never said to use blanks
And he never said
"What are you doing, are you trying to kill me?"
If the bullets had been just a bit off
he would really have been hurt
But the boys said they were excellent shots
So they fired
They fired
We had these sorts of risks on every film
We had a passion, so we accepted them
Five directors with five different crews
would leave the Afghan Film doors
And head out to different locations all around Kabul
The conditions were that good for filmmakers then
Kill him
If the government is the type
that is interested in supporting a politicized cinema
Once this government ends
so does the support for film and filmmakers
Amin felt he'd won
But one wonders about the thoughts
of a man who betrayed his friends
and trampled on his party
He must have hoped to become a hero
But he will be remembered as a usurper and murderer
One characteristic of Hafizullah Amin was his bravery
He feared nothing, he was always laughing
He told us we could have whatever we wanted
for "The April Revolution"
as long as we made a film that felt alive
We said, "If you want a film that truly feels alive"
"then you have to act in the film yourself"
He said, "Certainly"
This is Amin's apartment being searched
By the way, this is his real wife
and kids being filmed with him
And now you'll see a few spectacular takes
Here Amin is giving orders to storm the President's palace
But if he's in prison
why are they letting him telephone the army?
Or if he's not in prison, how did he get out?
But he's not happy with something - here's another take
There were twenty takes or more
At one point he was standing on top of a tank
It's the scene where he comes from the Presidential Palace
But right then something happened
We were using this big halogen to light Amin
And just as Amin arrived, the halogen light exploded
When it exploded, one piece caught fire
And the flame circled and circled
before landing right on Amin
And it started to burn his clothes
And I swear that fifty Kalashnikovs pointed right at us
ready to take us out
Amin laughed and told them to calm down
He said, "Have you gone mad?"
"Are you going to kill all these people?"
Then we let out a breath of relief
knowing that we would survive
But every scene we shot with Amin
there were always Kalashnikovs behind us
At the time of the coup d'etat what did you think?
I was afraid
I was afraid they would come for me
Who?
They would take anyone who wasn't one of them
They would come in the night and take you away
People were afraid to speak openly in their own homes
They even told us to put up black curtains
so we couldn't see outside
Now anyone can say anything, but then
you couldn't even say that a minister's hair was crooked
If you had the guts to say it, they'd throw you in jail
and five days later you'd be dead
Most people were under surveillance
unlike today, when people are relatively free
If you said anything bad about the Russians or the government
You'd be investigated
This guy Entezar was always here
He'd review each film
and literally cut out whatever he didn't like
before it went to cinemas
We had Soviet advisors
We couldn't do anything without their permission
At least a lot of films were being made
The culture of cinema-going was huge in Kabul
Once the Kabul run was over
films would travel to all the provinces
In Balkh, in Jalalabad, in Kunduz, in Kandahar, in Herat
There were cinemas everywhere
At that time a new door opened
It was a "golden time" for Afghan cinema
Hey, eunuch!
Over here!
Whoever wanted to make a film came
because they gave people an outlet
to make films that were regime propaganda
I'm no eunuch!
Show yourself!
Everyone, whether filmmakers or not
they all started filmmaking
And many of them made very pointless
unappealing, low level films
Because cinema requires resources
most films produced at that time
were funded by the government
We could go so far as to say some films
were government propaganda
Jalal Razmenda, who was
the director of Intelligence for the 5th District
called me into his office one day with Qader Farogh
And said that they wanted us to make a film
about national security
And specifically a film about mujahideen groups
and drug smuggling rings
I think they gave me access to a case file
And I'm pretty sure
I included elements from their file in the film
Our screenwriter worked for the intelligence service
and he had access to lots of stories and cases
And I'm sure the screenplay was written such that
entire scenes are essentially documentaries
"Downfall" was about how the connection
between drug smugglers and Pakistani spies
would lead to the destruction of Afghanistan
The intelligence agencies would be destroyed
We'll all fall
That's why the film is called "Downfall"
Some people might see this as political
or say the film was made to benefit the regime
But our intention was to truly represent an intelligence war
I had opinions that I even expressed at the time
"Here, in this film you're lying to the public"
"And here you're telling the truth"
We took from the realities of our own lives
It could be a little closer, a little further
but I'm not the kind to make something up
I'm not fond of fiction
Whatever I've seen and sensed I've put into my films
Whatever was the truth, whether sweet or bitter
That's what I put on film
And of course, you add some dramatic flair
At that time in Afghanistan, we didn't have fight masters
The director didn't step aside
and have someone orchestrate the fights
The director did everything
We did have some tricks
For instance, when someone fell
we put cardboard and cushions below
so when they fell they didn't get hurt
And we framed it so that
the cardboard and cushions weren't seen
When it was time to shoot
we made sure everything was very precise
in order to avert tragedy
But mistakes have been made while shooting Afghan films
For instance, there was Rahmatullah Hostai
He placed his actor behind a wall
He told that actor, "When I say 'Action' lift up your head"
"And then quickly duck back down"
"When you hear them fire, raise your head again"
But when he yelled, "Action!"
the actor stood up and was shot in the head
He died on the spot
At that time, when we went out to shoot
the government would dispatch
a security detail to go with us on location
We were shooting in Mahipar
Had the mujahideen known we were a film crew
they wouldn't have shot at us
They fired on us thinking we were soldiers or spies
So we sent one or two people up
to make sure the mujahideen were okay with our presence
Then we could shoot in that location for a few days
Go to the commander
In that film I was playing a soldier
I even had my head shaved
We ran out of supplies
So Faqir Nabi sent me on a bus
And when we reached Sorkhakan in Jalalabad
a mujahid with a turban and gun stopped the bus
and saw my shaved head
He told me to get out
He asked me who I was and what I was doing
Obviously I couldn't say that I was an actor in a film
So I said "I'm a soldier"
"I've deserted from the army"
They asked me if it was true
I said "Yes, I'm on my way home"
They said, "Go"
When we played those roles
we came to the attention of enemies of the state
For the opposition, clearly we were the face of the state
In mid-shoot, we came under siege
They said: 'We won't spare a single man"
"But bring us the two girls"
We were artists, no way they would've let us live
But now they'll probably lie
We worked in film out of love and dedication
But in terms of society
Believe me
Many Afghans think this is inappropriate
And in their eyes
we are unbelievers, non-Muslims
And an actress
in the larger society's view is equivalent to a prostitute
Later on, when the political situation started to open up
and national reconciliation became a prominent issue
Slowly the cinema got better and more open
But there still wasn't really any independent film
and directors still couldn't cross certain red lines
Most films weren't banned or cut
since we didn't make political films
And the government censored films beforehand
unlike today
Back then, when someone wanted to make a film
five or six people would review the script
And whatever didn't fit their policies, they would remove
We would tell the filmmakers
"It's lacking in this section, you must work on it"
or "This is incorrect, it's not factual"
What we wanted were things that were close to the truth
I spent so much time fighting with the Soviet advisors
Because I showed reality in my films and they objected
They'd say "This isn't true, it's false, you're anti-Soviet"
"You're making the government look weak"
But the Afghan government accepted our work
Many times we screened films here at Afghan Film
The Afghan officials would say, "You're showing the truth"
But the Soviet advisor would get up and yell at them
that they knew nothing about cinema
And the society was in such a state that
they could have killed me or thrown me in jail
Of course, if you wanted to make a political film
the government would regulate it
But if you wanted to make a fiction film, they didn't care
But no way would they let you make a film that opposed them
No one, nowhere can catch a director
A director will show you one thing in his script
but once he gets on set to shoot, he does what he wants
Artists who stayed in Afghanistan
clearly made sacrifices and worked for the people
They never accepted pressure from above
or allowed it to interfere in their work
They made their feelings known
The government wasn't that strict anyway
Everyone didn't have to accept their plans or desires
They knew if they pressured us too much
We too would leave the country
If you didn't accept the regimes's desires or propaganda
you'd be arrested
Everyone in Afghanistan knows this
Cinema can work as a weapon
for all political and ideological regimes
This has happened over and over
Not only in Afghanistan
Not only under the Afghan Communists or Soviet occupation
The Soviets knew cinema can open doors and cross borders
to gain attention worldwide
We don't have to go back far to see their strategy
In the 70-90 year existence of the USSR
We saw how they took over the rest of Central Asia
They used culture to get people to embrace the USSR
Afghanistan was supposed to be part of that
Believe me...
you can't do as much damage to the enemy with an F-16
or other air power
as you can with a really good film
Every regime has its own strategies
At that time, the government felt they could implement
their plans through culture
Under the Communist regimes, censorship relaxed
but certain things, like nudity, were still forbidden
Because they knew people would object
They would rise up
and they might even vandalize or burn the cinemas
The screenwriter considered social realism
and he wanted to show how you lose yourself
become Westernized
and fall under the influence of foreign cultures
They're just copying a ridiculous way of life
even though in a religious society
people shouldn't behave like this
We wanted to put aside people's beliefs and their religion
and show what really took place in our society
We wanted to create a place in the cinema
for people who wanted a different kind of freedom
In Engineer Latif's films, like "The Migrant Birds"
Things were said against the regime, but in a concealed way
You couldn't say it outright
Your film would be banned
and you'd be put under investigation
At the time, many families were divided
between different political groups
This political division happened on all levels
from family to society
Today is very similar
War still divides families
They call each other 'brother' or 'beloved,' but still fight
Clearly my film was about reconciliation
For instance, the two brothers in the story
One allied with the government, one with the mujahideen
These two brothers become enemies
But in the end, they all realize
the nation can only reach peace through reconciliation
They come together
Dr Najib announced directly to the opposition
"I'll hand over the government to you"
"but not so you can turn Kabul into a river of blood"
But that's what happened
It was 1991 when the mujahideen came to Kabul and things got bad
Now it's suicide bombs, then it was rockets
Rockets fell from all sides
The beginning was like a jungle
Everything was barbaric
When the mujahideen came, they brought a civil war
and the fight for Kabul caused mass destruction
The situation became so bad
that people missed their previous situation
I don't know about later, but what I saw in the first days
was a disorder that made people afraid
You will even find some people
who were completely against Communist ideology
but once they saw what came after
their mindset suddenly changed
I thought to myself at the time
A person like me can't survive in this political climate
It was very wild
At night you'd hear gunfire
And I thought the cinema
would not last long in this environment
So I got a visa and went to India
We started "Wrong Way" in 1989
But unfortunately the regime collapsed
and I became a refugee
Many people fled, leaving just a small group at Afghan Film
I locked the "Agent" footage in a closet and left Afghanistan
I went to Dushanbe as a cultural attaché and then to Moscow
But then I heard on the news
that all the archives of Afghan Film were taken away
in seven containers and burned in a public square
It made me feel very hopeless
because I'd worked so hard on "Agent"
I never forgot this film for one second of my life
That report made me think of the misfortune of "Agent"
that it was left unfinished and still burned
It was devastating
The Taliban destroyed 200 or 300 of our films
But among the Taliban, one called Nezami
who still has a position in Afghanistan now
protected Afghan Film
He stopped them from destroying everything
and said, "If they ask for the key,"
"I'll say it's lost"
So many noted filmmakers have said to me
"You have such a powerful, important subject"
"Why was it left unfinished?"
But for 10 or 15 years
we didn't have permission to make this film
Then Afghanistan's destruction forced us all to flee
If only the regime had let us see the film through
or even continued it
They could have divided it
and separated the truth from the fiction
Because we had footage that reflected
the reality of that moment
If this reality were added to other realities
then the film could have been completed
But unfortunately
they too were caught up in the chaos of the day
and they forgot to finish
But if released in its intended form
I don't think many people would've accepted the film
People were aware, they saw the tragedies with their own eyes
I doubt they would have seen it as truth
If it were possible to finish the film now
would you want to?
There's only one possible way
Farid Fayz is even older than me now
Qader Farogh, his hand shakes now
He's very sick
Juwansher Haidary has gained so much weight
As for myself... my role wasn't so important
Adela Adeem, I don't know where she is
Poor Anwar, who played a lead role, he died
To make the same film with the same actors after 25 years
would be very hard
We would need a way to link the past to the present
intellectually, in a new script
We'd have to compare
past and present intelligence wars
To relate past drug smuggling
to the addictions of today
I don't see any other solution
After the Taliban fell and the interim government was announced
I came back to Kabul
The first place I went was the second floor editing room
and I saw that the cabinet was still there
I pulled it and saw it was locked
I pulled it again and the lock opened
It opened, and I saw that all of "Agent" was still there
negatives and audio reels in their metal canisters
You can't imagine how happy I was
I must have passed out, I was delirious from happiness
Because what I thought had died was alive before my eyes
I think that at the time, the government was saying:
"Whatever you want from me, just ask and I'll give it to you"
"But you have to be with me"
Now it's like the government says:
"Whatever you want to do or say, go ahead"
"But I can't give you anything in return"
This is my analysis
In that time of war
they gave homes in Macrorayan to actors and filmmakers
But now, when I walk around town, people yell "Uncle!"
because in the film "Anjam" I played an uncle
People mock me
I hang my head and get back on my bicycle
No, Kareem
I said shoot!
Kill me!
If you don't kill me, I'll kill you!
Shoot!
I felt like that film would be part of history
and if history records your name, that's very meaningful
Even after death it has value if you work on such a film
It pains me that this work was never seen
Cinema can change the politics of a nation
A teacher can teach maybe 20 students per class
A film can teach an entire country
At that time they knew
if you make a really good feature film or documentary
It affects both the enemy and the people
In Afghanistan, artists have neither popular
nor government support
Only the people's support can better their place in society
The government can't protect them from the angry fists
of those against art and culture
From the time of the mujahideen
until today, with ISIS and Taliban
they are enemies of film, "the Great Satan"
They say "You're fooling people through film"
If the Taliban catch us, they will rip us to pieces
Look at the place of art in Afghanistan
Look at the opposition art faces
But this is my country and I want to stay here
and work in film until I die
All I want is for people to acknowledge and value
the artists who work in cinema
Or we'll be left with the same
Taliban and ISIS all over again