This weekend on Docunight, we present two films on Afghanistan by Sepideh Farsi as part of our Double Feature: Fatherland.
Harat follows the director’s journey from Paris to Harat, Afghanistan. The documentary is a meaningful look at Farsi’s time traveling with her daughter and father to see their family. By weaving together stories about her father and his relatives with glimpses of beautiful cities, Harat tells a simple, linear story illustrated with the unique identities of different cities. Imbued with warmth and humanity, Farsi’s observational examination in this personal travelogue is unassumingly absorbing and portrays realistic, unfailingly human personalities.
7 Veils is also set in Afghanistan, a culturally rich country that has been plagued by war and strife for many decades. In this film, Farsi takes a look at the ordinary people whose way of life remains difficult to understand for those living outside the country. Farsi’s goal is to lift up the veil that obscures the country’s true, compassionate heart, using images that are beautiful, aesthetically impressive, and transcendental. The documentary is an unraveling, dizzying, and spectacular look at life in Afghanistan and a humane portrait of a country that longs to catch its breath amidst the lingering war.