For all the friends and supporters of Wahidi, wondering why there have been no new entries in this blog, I'm passing along news that he is fine. He is still in Italy, investigating various options to stay there for work and school.
He has sent me several blog entries that I am helping him edit. They will appear here very soon.
Many people who have subscribed to this blog have not confirmed their subscription, so will not receive notice when new entries are published. Please re-subscribe to be sure you receive the latest news from him. He is in a difficult situation and appreciates the interest and concerns from all.
--Robert Maier
Friday, October 5, 2007
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Who Stops me?!!
Who Stops me?!!
Mohammad Amin Wahidi Director Deedenow Cinema
Launch of Deedenow Website is another achievement.
Preview of Deedenow Cinema Website
Now you can click http://www.deedenowcinema.com/ or http://www.aminwahidi.com/ to read more than what we have in our bloggers:
Deedenow Cinema is in progress day by day. The recent achievement after “Treasure in the ruins” we have is our website which is now launched and you can read in it more than only about Deedenow.
Before launching the website Deedenow Cinema had two bloggers one in Dari and one in English (the present one) through which reflected most of its thoughts and activities.
www.aminwahidi4u.blogfa.com Preview of Deedenow Cineam Dari Blogger
We focus dramatic arts and the free media in our website; cinema, television, radio, printing press and the updates of women’s progress in these arenas in Afghanistan.
Amin Wahidi Director of Deedenow Cinema is strongly committed to do more for Deedenow Cinema and more than only Deedenow for the others interested in Afghan cinema and media and press.
In our website soon you will be able to read about: An introduction of Deedenow itself such as;
About us
Our Products
Our current projects
Ready to shoot screenplays
Contact us
The Updates from Deedenow: Contains the latest we have done or latest things being done in fields of media and cinema of Afghanistan.
Free Media Reports: Here we reflect all about the media and press activists such as reporters, journalists, show presenters, TV producers etc who work in Afghanistan.
Tele & Vision: Television makes a big part of our lives therefore I have to write about the programs, I have to write scripts for the programs of the others and I have to make my own shows for televisions I work with. This part of the website contains: My own shows, Skills for producing TV shows, Programming consultancy, Weekly critics on the TV programs (of Afghanistan), The best shows of the week and People’s opinions (in Afghanistan) on television channels.
Afghan Cinema: Contains history of cinema in Afghanistan, introduction of the Governmental Department of Afghan Films, a database of Afghan Films produced up to now, a database of Afghan Filmmakers and actors, introduction of Private Afghan Filmmaking productions and articles on Afghan Cinema written by different authors.
Cinema and Theatre Schools in Afghanistan: Links of and Information about Fine Arts Faculty Kabul University, Academy of Art and Cinematic Educations and Governmental Department of Afghan Films
Talks and Interviews: We Interview with Afghan Cinema Activists about their latest activities.
Film Critics: Deedenow Cinema, Academy of Art and Razi Film House have film screening events followed by a friendly film critics table every Friday in Academy of Art and cinematic Education and those film critics are being reflected in this part of the site.
Your articles: In this filed external articles are accepted from different writers on cinema, media and press of Afghanistan.
Our partner organizations and productions: You will see here which organizations have partnership with us.
Available human resource for external jobs: Contains a database of filmmakers, artists and film industry activists who are ready to fill a job or serve on contract.
The Hazaras of Afghanistan: This part contains history of their origin, culture, heroes and famous figures and much other information on Hazaras of Afghanistan.
Photo gallery: Contains photos from Deedenow activities and other interesting photos.
Corner of my heart: This is a place like the corner of heart for the Director of Deedenow cinema and contains Mohammad Amin Wahidi’s very personal writings on different subjects.
The ever lasting tunes: Contains information, interviews and biographies of Afghan musicians and singers.
External links: Here we provide you the most important and useful links of Afghan websites and blogs on different fields.
We wish all the readers will enjoy visiting http://www.deedenowcinema.com/ and assist as with their comments, opinions and or critics they have on the articles and issues raised in our website.
Wish you all success and prosperity
Mohammad Amin Wahidi
Director of Deedenow Cinema
Mohammad Amin Wahidi Director Deedenow Cinema
Launch of Deedenow Website is another achievement.
Preview of Deedenow Cinema Website
Now you can click http://www.deedenowcinema.com/ or http://www.aminwahidi.com/ to read more than what we have in our bloggers:
Deedenow Cinema is in progress day by day. The recent achievement after “Treasure in the ruins” we have is our website which is now launched and you can read in it more than only about Deedenow.
Before launching the website Deedenow Cinema had two bloggers one in Dari and one in English (the present one) through which reflected most of its thoughts and activities.
www.aminwahidi4u.blogfa.com Preview of Deedenow Cineam Dari Blogger
We focus dramatic arts and the free media in our website; cinema, television, radio, printing press and the updates of women’s progress in these arenas in Afghanistan.
Amin Wahidi Director of Deedenow Cinema is strongly committed to do more for Deedenow Cinema and more than only Deedenow for the others interested in Afghan cinema and media and press.
In our website soon you will be able to read about: An introduction of Deedenow itself such as;
About us
Our Products
Our current projects
Ready to shoot screenplays
Contact us
The Updates from Deedenow: Contains the latest we have done or latest things being done in fields of media and cinema of Afghanistan.
Free Media Reports: Here we reflect all about the media and press activists such as reporters, journalists, show presenters, TV producers etc who work in Afghanistan.
Tele & Vision: Television makes a big part of our lives therefore I have to write about the programs, I have to write scripts for the programs of the others and I have to make my own shows for televisions I work with. This part of the website contains: My own shows, Skills for producing TV shows, Programming consultancy, Weekly critics on the TV programs (of Afghanistan), The best shows of the week and People’s opinions (in Afghanistan) on television channels.
Afghan Cinema: Contains history of cinema in Afghanistan, introduction of the Governmental Department of Afghan Films, a database of Afghan Films produced up to now, a database of Afghan Filmmakers and actors, introduction of Private Afghan Filmmaking productions and articles on Afghan Cinema written by different authors.
Cinema and Theatre Schools in Afghanistan: Links of and Information about Fine Arts Faculty Kabul University, Academy of Art and Cinematic Educations and Governmental Department of Afghan Films
Talks and Interviews: We Interview with Afghan Cinema Activists about their latest activities.
Film Critics: Deedenow Cinema, Academy of Art and Razi Film House have film screening events followed by a friendly film critics table every Friday in Academy of Art and cinematic Education and those film critics are being reflected in this part of the site.
Your articles: In this filed external articles are accepted from different writers on cinema, media and press of Afghanistan.
Our partner organizations and productions: You will see here which organizations have partnership with us.
Available human resource for external jobs: Contains a database of filmmakers, artists and film industry activists who are ready to fill a job or serve on contract.
The Hazaras of Afghanistan: This part contains history of their origin, culture, heroes and famous figures and much other information on Hazaras of Afghanistan.
Photo gallery: Contains photos from Deedenow activities and other interesting photos.
Corner of my heart: This is a place like the corner of heart for the Director of Deedenow cinema and contains Mohammad Amin Wahidi’s very personal writings on different subjects.
The ever lasting tunes: Contains information, interviews and biographies of Afghan musicians and singers.
External links: Here we provide you the most important and useful links of Afghan websites and blogs on different fields.
We wish all the readers will enjoy visiting http://www.deedenowcinema.com/ and assist as with their comments, opinions and or critics they have on the articles and issues raised in our website.
Wish you all success and prosperity
Mohammad Amin Wahidi
Director of Deedenow Cinema
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Deedenow Cinema receives licence
Deedenow Cinema is licensed by the Ministry of Information and Culture and AISA
Licenses are recently issued to Deedenow Cinema by Ministry of Information and Culture and Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) after formal registration in these two organizations.
Licence form AISA
From now on we are announcing our practical activities in the arenas such as; production of films, coordination for international relations of young Afghan Filmmakers, researches in cinema and exchange of Afghan Cinematic experiences with other countries.
Licence from Ministry of Information and Culture
Deedenow which means A New Vision actually established o have new vision and new way of thinking on social, civic and cultural issues through lenses of cinema and is a platform for the promotion and expression of young Afghan cinema activists to the world.
The fields we are concentrating our focus in filmmaking activities are as below:
Human rights; women affairs, children and minorities
Post conflict lives and societies
The Hazaras of Afghanistan
When it is entitled to be the Center for International Coordinations of Young Afghan Filmmakers, Deedenow cinema is honored to play the role of connecting bridge between the Afghan filmmakers and the filmmakers of the world through bloggers, websites, correspondence, cinema study tour opportunities and international film festivals.
Amin Wahidi Director of Deedenow Cinema
Deedenow Cinema is led by Mohammad Amin Wahidi a twenty five years old Afghan Screenplay writer and TV producer who is assisted by his other friends namely, Reza Ahmadi, Hanif Elham, S. Jalal Masoumi, Masoud Zarifi, Ali Akbar Mohebi, Nasim Sahar Ganji and S. Zekeria Rezayee in Deedenow Cinema works.
Deedenow Cinema is led by Mohammad Amin Wahidi a twenty five years old Afghan Screenplay writer and TV producer who is assisted by his other friends namely, Reza Ahmadi, Hanif Elham, S. Jalal Masoumi, Masoud Zarifi, Ali Akbar Mohebi, Nasim Sahar Ganji and S. Zekeria Rezayee in Deedenow Cinema works.
Poster for " I am hungry mom!"
This year we plan to produce at least two films; a short fiction and a medium length which are ready to shoot.
The short fiction which is our first actual production was planned to be completed by the end of March 07 but due to lack of needed facilities and resources it has been postponed to the beginning of May.
The second film which is titled “Key for the Paradise” is a fifty five minutes which is also written by Amin Wahidi. For the second project we have the screenplay ready but we are still looking for international producers to produce it or co-produce it with us.
The screenplay “Keys for the paradise” has a very rare story plot and is about the last twenty four hours of life of an Afghan suicide bomber who at the last minutes decides not to blast himself for an imagination he finds.
It is to say that in spite of all problems and obstacles in filmmaking in Afghanistan Amin Wahidi as the director of Deedenow Cinema makes every effort to produce “I am hungry mom!” this year to send it at least to Pusan International Film Festival 2007 and Venice International Film Festival 2007.
We also hope this year we can find producer for our second screenplay “Keys for the Paradise” which has a sensational and controversial plot story that has rarely been focused on before.
It is worth mentioning that Deedenow Cinema has had a much closed relationship with the Academy of Arts and Cinematic Education and it aims to keep it continuous in the future too.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Does anyone hear our voices
Does anyone hear our voices?
Young Afghan Filmmakers need your supports!
Deedenow Cinema, a private production of young Afghan Filmmakers, established to shape and presents an independent artistic cinema in Afghanistan.
Women, children, religious and ethnic minorities and victims of human rights violation in Afghanistan are the main themes and subjects of our filmmaking activities.
We focus on independence of cinema from any kind of pressure, influences, partisan and misusage to keep an independent artistic cinema in Afghanistan.
We are the youth, we know that we have a long way ahead, but fortunately or unfortunately we live in a stage of time, when there is need of doing something for.
We want to play a great role in the transitional period of our history when new and unaccustomed words are heard in our terminology but not understood, said but not applied.
We are not only living in the era of requirements and challenges of the new millennium but as an Afghan society with more complicated cultural – social ad tribal challenges of our own specific types.
The words democracy, human rights, justice, progress, prosperity are the terminologies which the Afghans are not familiar with but only have heard about.
In this way, there is need of many kinds of tools and mediums to brighten the minds the best of which is cinema; comprehensive and popular to bring great changes.
In the era of technology when the sky is easily touched, why can’t the hearts be caught?
Thus our motto is “Wanna catch the hearts!” based on which we want to connect our people with the world through our independent artistic cinema but with new way of looking at things therefore we have chosen the name, Deedenow which means New Vision in Dari language.
We believe that cinema is the third eye for human beings, thus things are seen differently through it, how ever our efforts are to show the others how things seem to us.
One part or one side of our activities are our people and our country but the other part which is a decoder of our messages to whom we have to communicate our message, our vision, and the way how we see things in the world, is the viewers and target audiences and is finally you.
Thus relying on the proverb, “the friend in need is the friend indeed” we have chosen you as a friend to open our heart before, saying that; do you hear our voices? Young Afghan filmmakers need your supports!
You have read our views and heard our voices, it now depends on you whether you do what you can do for us as a friend or not.
What we expect you to do for us is only:
Join us to see things through our lenses.
Visit our weblogs on daily basis to know about Afghan Cinema and filmmakers.
Send this address to your friends interested in Afghan Cinema.
Introduce us to the film festivals, film productions and film schools of your country.
Introduce our products in your hometown and homeland.
Give your comments on the articles and contents of our weblog.
Link us to your websites and weblogs.
Keep in touch with us on frequent basis.
Co-produce the screenplays we have ready to shoot if you can.
And if you can;
Kindly donate us new and or your second hand filmmaking equipments such as second hand digital photography and video cameras, tripods, lights, booms, camera lenses and filters, and any extra equipment that you have for the promotion of Afghan Independent Artistic Cinema.
Be ever green but don’t forget to visit us again!
Young Afghan Filmmakers need your supports!
Deedenow Cinema, a private production of young Afghan Filmmakers, established to shape and presents an independent artistic cinema in Afghanistan.
Women, children, religious and ethnic minorities and victims of human rights violation in Afghanistan are the main themes and subjects of our filmmaking activities.
We focus on independence of cinema from any kind of pressure, influences, partisan and misusage to keep an independent artistic cinema in Afghanistan.
We are the youth, we know that we have a long way ahead, but fortunately or unfortunately we live in a stage of time, when there is need of doing something for.
We want to play a great role in the transitional period of our history when new and unaccustomed words are heard in our terminology but not understood, said but not applied.
We are not only living in the era of requirements and challenges of the new millennium but as an Afghan society with more complicated cultural – social ad tribal challenges of our own specific types.
The words democracy, human rights, justice, progress, prosperity are the terminologies which the Afghans are not familiar with but only have heard about.
In this way, there is need of many kinds of tools and mediums to brighten the minds the best of which is cinema; comprehensive and popular to bring great changes.
In the era of technology when the sky is easily touched, why can’t the hearts be caught?
Thus our motto is “Wanna catch the hearts!” based on which we want to connect our people with the world through our independent artistic cinema but with new way of looking at things therefore we have chosen the name, Deedenow which means New Vision in Dari language.
We believe that cinema is the third eye for human beings, thus things are seen differently through it, how ever our efforts are to show the others how things seem to us.
One part or one side of our activities are our people and our country but the other part which is a decoder of our messages to whom we have to communicate our message, our vision, and the way how we see things in the world, is the viewers and target audiences and is finally you.
Thus relying on the proverb, “the friend in need is the friend indeed” we have chosen you as a friend to open our heart before, saying that; do you hear our voices? Young Afghan filmmakers need your supports!
You have read our views and heard our voices, it now depends on you whether you do what you can do for us as a friend or not.
What we expect you to do for us is only:
Join us to see things through our lenses.
Visit our weblogs on daily basis to know about Afghan Cinema and filmmakers.
Send this address to your friends interested in Afghan Cinema.
Introduce us to the film festivals, film productions and film schools of your country.
Introduce our products in your hometown and homeland.
Give your comments on the articles and contents of our weblog.
Link us to your websites and weblogs.
Keep in touch with us on frequent basis.
Co-produce the screenplays we have ready to shoot if you can.
And if you can;
Kindly donate us new and or your second hand filmmaking equipments such as second hand digital photography and video cameras, tripods, lights, booms, camera lenses and filters, and any extra equipment that you have for the promotion of Afghan Independent Artistic Cinema.
Be ever green but don’t forget to visit us again!
How an independent cinema forms
How an independent cinema forms
Since its birth in the late nineteenth century by The Lumiers, the cinema has gradually evolved in different shapes and forms.
By passing time, the cinema emerged to have the strongest and the most expensive essence; as a mixture of arts and technology.
Movies were first made to pass time and bring smiles and cheers to the people’s faces while they became the strongest mean to express one’s vision and feelings of his surroundings to the others as time passed, thus cinema became a tool for different purpose thereafter.
During the war times, the cinema could play the role of a tool of the campaign for the parties in conflict and is used for political propagandas of regimes.
When there is peace, the cinema could be a good entertainer, a good source of income, a good encoder of messages and a good conformity for possibility of any thing in the world. And again it depends on how it has been used which still depending on specific main factors which have direct influences on it; the thoughts and opinions of filmmaker from his surroundings, the targeted audiences and economy.
Cinema in its age of more than a century has had trends in different directions but predictions and foreseeing have always been main characteristics of it in all decades of its history.
There are filmmakers who make films of their dreams and imaginations and on the other hand there are filmmakers who in every step of filmmaking activities consider the target audiences choices and satisfaction, therefore they rely very much on economy and box- office. The economy which is a huge and necessary supporter of the cinema has a great influence on it in different ways which is obviously seen in the outcomes of the cinematic products.
There are, how ever, filmmakers in all decades of the age of cinema, who think independently and make what and how they think, they don’t care about what the others think about what they do and how the economy plays role in their work, they are only fond of cinema hating following the footpaths of the others thus they are all the time, seen to be moving opposite the mainstreams.
They are curious and tired of the normality and usuality thus they often think differently, and the others call them independent filmmakers, how ever their films are more specific audiences oriented.
It is not that they make films of what they dream or imagine about but in fact they make films of how differently they see the world thus they chose the cinema as their third eye.
Looking for one of those who think differently who believe they should influence their surroundings not the surroundings would influence them, but finally we found that;
We ourselves are one of them, thinking independently and making what we think.
This is how an independent cinema forms!
Since its birth in the late nineteenth century by The Lumiers, the cinema has gradually evolved in different shapes and forms.
By passing time, the cinema emerged to have the strongest and the most expensive essence; as a mixture of arts and technology.
Movies were first made to pass time and bring smiles and cheers to the people’s faces while they became the strongest mean to express one’s vision and feelings of his surroundings to the others as time passed, thus cinema became a tool for different purpose thereafter.
During the war times, the cinema could play the role of a tool of the campaign for the parties in conflict and is used for political propagandas of regimes.
When there is peace, the cinema could be a good entertainer, a good source of income, a good encoder of messages and a good conformity for possibility of any thing in the world. And again it depends on how it has been used which still depending on specific main factors which have direct influences on it; the thoughts and opinions of filmmaker from his surroundings, the targeted audiences and economy.
Cinema in its age of more than a century has had trends in different directions but predictions and foreseeing have always been main characteristics of it in all decades of its history.
There are filmmakers who make films of their dreams and imaginations and on the other hand there are filmmakers who in every step of filmmaking activities consider the target audiences choices and satisfaction, therefore they rely very much on economy and box- office. The economy which is a huge and necessary supporter of the cinema has a great influence on it in different ways which is obviously seen in the outcomes of the cinematic products.
There are, how ever, filmmakers in all decades of the age of cinema, who think independently and make what and how they think, they don’t care about what the others think about what they do and how the economy plays role in their work, they are only fond of cinema hating following the footpaths of the others thus they are all the time, seen to be moving opposite the mainstreams.
They are curious and tired of the normality and usuality thus they often think differently, and the others call them independent filmmakers, how ever their films are more specific audiences oriented.
It is not that they make films of what they dream or imagine about but in fact they make films of how differently they see the world thus they chose the cinema as their third eye.
Looking for one of those who think differently who believe they should influence their surroundings not the surroundings would influence them, but finally we found that;
We ourselves are one of them, thinking independently and making what we think.
This is how an independent cinema forms!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
There we go!
Poster for " I am hangry mom!"
Soon we are full hands with the first actual production of Deedenow Cinema “I am hungry mom!”
“I am hungry mom!” is the title of short fiction which is the first actual production of Deedenow Cinema after its establishment. The screenplay is written by Mohammad Amin Wahidi and soon it will be directed by him in March 2007. The screenplay after being completed by Amin Wahidi has been reviewed and certified by Academy of Arts and Cinematic Studies in Kabul who will technically support the production of this short film. “ I am hungry mom!” which at the beginning titled “Homa” as the name of its main character, is about a small girl who is looking for treasures in the ruin buildings of Kabul after hearing the tales of treasures form her mother. It will be filmed in Kabul and poverty, hunger, ruins and the war affected children are focused on in this short film.
It is to say that after completion, this film will be sent to the national and international film festivals.
Film information:
Film title: I am hungry mom!
Subject: Explore of a seven year old Afghan girl, who is looking for the treasures in the ruin houses in Afghanistan based on the legend she has heard from her sick mother that “treasures are in the ruins”.
Screenplay writer: Mohammad Amin Wahidi
Director: Mohammad Amin Wahidi
Length: 20 minutes
Format: digital
Language: Dari (Persian)
Subtitle: English
Producer: Deed-e-now Cinema Production
Production year: 2007
Status: pre- production
I am hungry mom!
(The story of a curious little girl in the ruins of Afghanistan)
Synopsis:
Homa is a seven / eight year old Afghan girl who lives with her mother and her brother. Her father has been disappeared during the Taliban regime and they know nothing about him since then. Half a day Homa goes to school and half a day she weaves carpet at home with Homayoon her brother. Carpet is the only income for their livelihood though her mother is infected with tuberculosis because of weaving carpet for years and years.
At nights her mother tells her different tales and legends and hearing them Homa goes to sleep. One night her mother tells her the legend of the poor boy and the treasure an ancient traditional tale. After she hears this legend from her sick mother, she decides to look for and find out the treasures in the ruins of her home town.
Finally she faces with different things that bring her memories of the years of war and Taliban regime when she finds different old and broken items from the ruin houses and buildings each of which is the symbol of different mementos and different stories.
Why this subject?!
Afghanistan is a country that has been under the focus of different counties of international community and foreign aids and this focus has been very widely spreaded out in the media and press of the world after the disaster of September 11th 2001. From the eye of a filmmaker the very important part of the focus of international community in this country is the very bottom layer of the society, or the hungry bare feet people of the citizens of the country. How these aids have affected the lives of these low class citizens of the society it is very important.
Despite of all these aids, reconstructions and propagandas there are still people looking for their daily food, there are still people dying of hunger and very dangerous diseases they faced with because of poverty and there are under age children still being forced to work to feed the families who have lost their guardian in the civil war and there are still ruined house across the country even the capital city of the country, Kabul. And there still four things that are very obvious even for a foreign visitor to this country and they are: Poverty, hunger, ruins and orphan children who beg or work on the roads.
As per the geological surveys being conducted in this country, the available underground minds and minerals are enough at least to feed the people and to help them in their livelihood, but when they all be extracted and be used for the well of the poor citizens god knows!
This is a question of young and old people of Afghanistan that where do these foreign aids go? How will this aids and assistances affect the lives of poor people of Afghanistan? In this story Homa a seven year old girl who has lost her father during the Taliban, is exploring the ruins of her country looking for treasures as has heard a legend from her sick mother about it; “The treasures are in the ruins”. Then she faces with some other realities and truths!
After this short film “Keys of the Paradise” is the second screenplay which is also written by Mohammad Amin Wahidi will be produced by Deed-e- now Cinema Production and that is about an Afghan suicide bomber who at the last minutes decides not to suicide himself. The Keys of the paradise depicts the last 24 hours of life of an Afghan suicide bomber Mullah who in the last minute decides no to suicide himself for some humanitarian visions and imaginations he founds.
Wish success for the interested productions / individuals who want to invest on such projects in Afghanistan in the future.
“I am hungry mom!” is the title of short fiction which is the first actual production of Deedenow Cinema after its establishment. The screenplay is written by Mohammad Amin Wahidi and soon it will be directed by him in March 2007. The screenplay after being completed by Amin Wahidi has been reviewed and certified by Academy of Arts and Cinematic Studies in Kabul who will technically support the production of this short film. “ I am hungry mom!” which at the beginning titled “Homa” as the name of its main character, is about a small girl who is looking for treasures in the ruin buildings of Kabul after hearing the tales of treasures form her mother. It will be filmed in Kabul and poverty, hunger, ruins and the war affected children are focused on in this short film.
It is to say that after completion, this film will be sent to the national and international film festivals.
Film information:
Film title: I am hungry mom!
Subject: Explore of a seven year old Afghan girl, who is looking for the treasures in the ruin houses in Afghanistan based on the legend she has heard from her sick mother that “treasures are in the ruins”.
Screenplay writer: Mohammad Amin Wahidi
Director: Mohammad Amin Wahidi
Length: 20 minutes
Format: digital
Language: Dari (Persian)
Subtitle: English
Producer: Deed-e-now Cinema Production
Production year: 2007
Status: pre- production
I am hungry mom!
(The story of a curious little girl in the ruins of Afghanistan)
Synopsis:
Homa is a seven / eight year old Afghan girl who lives with her mother and her brother. Her father has been disappeared during the Taliban regime and they know nothing about him since then. Half a day Homa goes to school and half a day she weaves carpet at home with Homayoon her brother. Carpet is the only income for their livelihood though her mother is infected with tuberculosis because of weaving carpet for years and years.
At nights her mother tells her different tales and legends and hearing them Homa goes to sleep. One night her mother tells her the legend of the poor boy and the treasure an ancient traditional tale. After she hears this legend from her sick mother, she decides to look for and find out the treasures in the ruins of her home town.
Finally she faces with different things that bring her memories of the years of war and Taliban regime when she finds different old and broken items from the ruin houses and buildings each of which is the symbol of different mementos and different stories.
Why this subject?!
Afghanistan is a country that has been under the focus of different counties of international community and foreign aids and this focus has been very widely spreaded out in the media and press of the world after the disaster of September 11th 2001. From the eye of a filmmaker the very important part of the focus of international community in this country is the very bottom layer of the society, or the hungry bare feet people of the citizens of the country. How these aids have affected the lives of these low class citizens of the society it is very important.
Despite of all these aids, reconstructions and propagandas there are still people looking for their daily food, there are still people dying of hunger and very dangerous diseases they faced with because of poverty and there are under age children still being forced to work to feed the families who have lost their guardian in the civil war and there are still ruined house across the country even the capital city of the country, Kabul. And there still four things that are very obvious even for a foreign visitor to this country and they are: Poverty, hunger, ruins and orphan children who beg or work on the roads.
As per the geological surveys being conducted in this country, the available underground minds and minerals are enough at least to feed the people and to help them in their livelihood, but when they all be extracted and be used for the well of the poor citizens god knows!
This is a question of young and old people of Afghanistan that where do these foreign aids go? How will this aids and assistances affect the lives of poor people of Afghanistan? In this story Homa a seven year old girl who has lost her father during the Taliban, is exploring the ruins of her country looking for treasures as has heard a legend from her sick mother about it; “The treasures are in the ruins”. Then she faces with some other realities and truths!
After this short film “Keys of the Paradise” is the second screenplay which is also written by Mohammad Amin Wahidi will be produced by Deed-e- now Cinema Production and that is about an Afghan suicide bomber who at the last minutes decides not to suicide himself. The Keys of the paradise depicts the last 24 hours of life of an Afghan suicide bomber Mullah who in the last minute decides no to suicide himself for some humanitarian visions and imaginations he founds.
Wish success for the interested productions / individuals who want to invest on such projects in Afghanistan in the future.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
A cinematic Life?!
Views of ruined cinema building in Kabul form inside and outside
A cinematic life?!
A memento of producing cinema program for ATN
(By M. Amin Wahidi)
Recently I am working on a screenplay the story of which has come to my mind just by a glance to a broken and ruined movie theatre building in Kabul Afghanistan. It is a memento of when I was producing “Chashme Sheshayee” a cinematic program on Ariana Television Network in Kabul, the time when I wanted to introduce the cinema halls in Kabul and I passed by Fakhri cinema which is totally destroyed in the war. I heard some voices form inside of the cinema hall, I was more curious to see what was inside so I approached the building entrance to see what is going on there. It just shocked me when I saw a family of five was living in the ruined building of a cinema as in their home. A little girl and a little boy were playing on the stage which had no roof on it. The father who had one leg was breaking wood for the fire in the samovar and the mother was washing clothes.
Another boy of them who seemed to be the eldest son of the family works with his father to earn for their livelihood as per saying of the parents.
They make tea at home and sell it to people by serving on a small cart near their home.
I really was confused, to cry or to laugh seeing this situation, but it was not only Fakhri cinema, which is ruined. There are many other movie theatres such as, Barekoot cinema, Kabul Nandari cinema, Maiwand cinema and Kote Sangi cinema which are all broken down due to the civil war and other crises, which one I should cry for?
Seeing all these I went to depth of my thoughts, why was this family forced to live in this building? When this building is going to be reconstructed? What will happen to this family if the building is to be reconstructed? And worse than that what will happen to the culture of cinema in Afghanistan if this ruined cinema hall and other similar ones will not be reconstructed soon? They are the nerve racking questions that jingled in my mind.
But finally I came to a point and that is rather than thinking a lot about it, I should name it (A cinematic Life!) and should write a nice screenplay on it.
A memento of producing cinema program for ATN
(By M. Amin Wahidi)
Recently I am working on a screenplay the story of which has come to my mind just by a glance to a broken and ruined movie theatre building in Kabul Afghanistan. It is a memento of when I was producing “Chashme Sheshayee” a cinematic program on Ariana Television Network in Kabul, the time when I wanted to introduce the cinema halls in Kabul and I passed by Fakhri cinema which is totally destroyed in the war. I heard some voices form inside of the cinema hall, I was more curious to see what was inside so I approached the building entrance to see what is going on there. It just shocked me when I saw a family of five was living in the ruined building of a cinema as in their home. A little girl and a little boy were playing on the stage which had no roof on it. The father who had one leg was breaking wood for the fire in the samovar and the mother was washing clothes.
Another boy of them who seemed to be the eldest son of the family works with his father to earn for their livelihood as per saying of the parents.
They make tea at home and sell it to people by serving on a small cart near their home.
I really was confused, to cry or to laugh seeing this situation, but it was not only Fakhri cinema, which is ruined. There are many other movie theatres such as, Barekoot cinema, Kabul Nandari cinema, Maiwand cinema and Kote Sangi cinema which are all broken down due to the civil war and other crises, which one I should cry for?
Seeing all these I went to depth of my thoughts, why was this family forced to live in this building? When this building is going to be reconstructed? What will happen to this family if the building is to be reconstructed? And worse than that what will happen to the culture of cinema in Afghanistan if this ruined cinema hall and other similar ones will not be reconstructed soon? They are the nerve racking questions that jingled in my mind.
But finally I came to a point and that is rather than thinking a lot about it, I should name it (A cinematic Life!) and should write a nice screenplay on it.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Know us better!
We are to develop our cinema and you are to be helped in your film projects in Afghanistan!
Deed-e- now cinema is a registered production that is founded by the young Afghan Filmmakers and cinematic activists here in Kabul Afghanistan. We provide you consultancy and advice for your film projects in Afghanistan.
The goals we have to achieve are:
· Conducting researches about Cinema, especially The Afghan Cinema and filmmakers.
· Producing fiction and documentary films in Afghanistan and the region.
· Working for development of Cinema in Afghanistan.
· Working for development of women filmmakers in Afghanistan.
· Working for promoting the family movie going in Afghanistan.
· Playing the role of a bridge between Afghan Filmmakers and foreign filmmakers.
Products and services:
Writing and adapting scenarios (mostly Afghanistan related stories) including film story plots and full screenplays (mostly for festival based films)
Coordination of filmmaking equipments and filming locations for foreign film projects in Afghanistan.
Providing advice and consultancy for the foreign filmmakers who want to have film projects in Afghanistan.
Sketching story boards for films by professional designers and illustrators
Contact persons:
Mohammad .Amin Wahidi
Director of Deed-e-now Cinema (production) ® Kabul Afghanistan
Dari weblog: www.aminwahidi4u.blogfa.com
Email: aminwahidi@yahoo.com
È (0093) 70221352 - (0093) 777302005)
Contact us for your film projects in Afghanistan and support us for the promotion of Afghan Cinema.
Deed-e- now cinema is a registered production that is founded by the young Afghan Filmmakers and cinematic activists here in Kabul Afghanistan. We provide you consultancy and advice for your film projects in Afghanistan.
The goals we have to achieve are:
· Conducting researches about Cinema, especially The Afghan Cinema and filmmakers.
· Producing fiction and documentary films in Afghanistan and the region.
· Working for development of Cinema in Afghanistan.
· Working for development of women filmmakers in Afghanistan.
· Working for promoting the family movie going in Afghanistan.
· Playing the role of a bridge between Afghan Filmmakers and foreign filmmakers.
Products and services:
Writing and adapting scenarios (mostly Afghanistan related stories) including film story plots and full screenplays (mostly for festival based films)
Coordination of filmmaking equipments and filming locations for foreign film projects in Afghanistan.
Providing advice and consultancy for the foreign filmmakers who want to have film projects in Afghanistan.
Sketching story boards for films by professional designers and illustrators
Contact persons:
Mohammad .Amin Wahidi
Director of Deed-e-now Cinema (production) ® Kabul Afghanistan
Dari weblog: www.aminwahidi4u.blogfa.com
Email: aminwahidi@yahoo.com
È (0093) 70221352 - (0093) 777302005)
Contact us for your film projects in Afghanistan and support us for the promotion of Afghan Cinema.
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