Abbas REZAIE
WP
On August 15, 2021, Kabul is captured by the Taliban, and journalists of Etilaat Roz, a daily newspaper of Afghanistan are faced with choices. Should they escape, or should they accuse the Taliban of its atrocities? In the end, the head of the newspaper decides to cover the protests against the Taliban, but faces a severe ordeal. Five journalists are arrested and two are horribly tortured. The film exposes the false promises of the Taliban and the bitter reality of Afghanistan.
Etilaat Roz is Kabul's main daily newspaper that has consistently criticized both the Taliban and the Afghan government. Without any special technique, the film chronologically documents its 2-month journey from its discontinuation at the same time as the Taliban's capture of Kabul in August 2021 to its dismantlement. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the urban office landscape catches the eye first—the structure of the office building surrounded by double iron gates and barbed wire protects the internal contemporaneity from external terrorism, violence, and oppression. The camera also stays inside the building, convincing us why they ¡°gambled¡± to resume activities since international escape was blocked. However, for the Taliban, the mission of the media can be neutralized in an instant, and it is only soon reconfirmed that there is no place that can guarantee livelihood and safety under the Taliban. What seemed like a fortress loses its meaning and paradoxically, the moment the double iron door opens, Etilaat Roz closes down and the camera finally goes out.
That¡¯s how the film succeeds in reporting the pressing and grievous reality.Abbas REZAIE
Known as journalist, an author, a poet, a documentary filmmaker. He has made five documentary films before and after the collapse of the Afghanistan government by the Taliban. Currently, he's working on a documentary about girls who were banned from school by the Taliban.