KOLKATA: A film activist, who went from Kolkata to Kabul in July 2019 for conducting a workshop on cinema organised by Roya Film House, is very worried about how the cine community will survive there in the Taliban regime. Premendra Mazumder, who is the secretary (Asia Pacific section) of the International Federation of Film Societies, has spoken to director Roya Sadat and is organizing an online festival of the films made by Afghani directors. This will be done to express solidarity with Afghani cine community.
Memories of his Kabul visit haunt him now. Just 15 days before his visit, a combined gun and bomb attack had devastated Kabul. “Five gunmen had entered a building under construction and fired on Afghan security personnel evacuating people onto the street. At least 45 were killed,” Mazumder told TOI.
His well-wishers were very worried when Mazumder decided to go to Kabul after such an attack. “On January 20, 2018, a group of gunmen had attacked the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul where I was staying. There was a 12-hour-long battle which had left 40 people dead including 14 foreigners. So, security was very tight when I went. However, the guards grew fond of me the moment they heard that I was from India and had a film connection. They thought that I was from the land of three Khans and even exempted me from regular security checks. They would even show me their dance clips,” he added.
A file photo of Premendra Mazumder at the workshop on cinema in Kabul in 2019
The fact that Mazumdar’s body of work has no connection with Bollywood didn’t matter to them. Speaking about the prominent members of Afghanistan, Mazumder mentioned Siddiq Barmak, Roya Sadat, Abdul Latif Ahmadi, Sahraa Karimi and Alka Sadat. “Abdul Latif Ahmadi was the president of Afghan Film, the state-run Afghan film company. Siddiq Barmak had won Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes for his first feature film titled ‘Osama’. Roya Sadat is the first woman director in the history of Afghan cinema in the post-Taliban era. Among her films are ‘Three Dots’, ‘Playing The Taar’ and ‘A Letter to the President’. Sahraa Karimi directed the film ‘Hava, Maryam, Ayesha’, which premiered at Venice. Alka Sadat became famous with her first 25-minute film ‘Half Value Life’ which highlights social injustice and crime,” he said.
Mazumder went to Kabul on an invitation from Roya Sadat. She has been organising the Afghanistan International Women’s Film Festival Herat. “This workshop was a part of the fifth edition of this festival. Over 20 young filmmakers participated in it. Of them, 50% were young girls. The concluding session was held at Kabul University’s faculty of arts,” he added.
Mazumder has connected with Sadat and her producer husband Aziz Dildar, who teaches in Kabul. “They are outside the country now. I’m worried about the security of the young and talented filmmakers who remain in Afghanistan,” he said. Currently, Mazumder is choosing 10 films for the virtual festival. “Cinema is under threat in the Taliban regime. I’ve to be cautious while selecting a film critical of the Taliban by a director who is still in Afghanistan,” he said.
