A film by: Rui Diaz, Christian Rinke
Documentary / 52/90 Minutes – Color HD – English-Dari / Afghanistan 2013
Despite thirty years of conflict, and eleven years of military occupation, despite violence, poverty, fundamentalism and war, there is a blossoming artistic movement in Afghanistan willing to be seen. Creative Despite War foregrounds some of the most innovative young Afghan artists in their struggle to create and show their artwork in a country where freedom of expression can often be life-threatening. Despite of this fact, their art is slowly taking over the city: from paintings on Kabul’s semi-destroyed walls to heavy metal underground concerts, the film takes us on a journey into Afghanistan’s growing artistic movement and into the intimate world of these artists, showing the impact of their artistic work on the construction of a new Afghan society, and proving that there is another perspective to see the country beyond the conflict.
Creative Despite War grows out of the motivation of giving a voice to the exciting new artistic movement in Afghanistan. After many years of conflict, the image of Afghanistan in the world is mostly related to terrorism, violence, and oppression, making it difficult to discover the rich traditions and the modern developments of the country and its people. Our intention is to establish through art a common ground with the Afghan society that allows the international viewers to see a life beyond the conflict, expanding their perception of the country. In light of the withdrawal of the foreign troops in 2014, the art scene becomes a field where afghan women and men regain their means of self-expression, testing the limits of their society and developing new ideas for the future of Afghanistan.
