GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL 2020 - Pictures From Afghanistan
GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL 2020
Photojournalist David Pratt has spent decades capturing images of war. From Central America to the Balkans to the Middle East, Pratt has been observing people and capturing conflict. With numerous assignments in Afghanistan throughout the years, Pratt has developed a special affection for the country as he has witnessed Afghanistan’s shifting political atmosphere — from the Soviet invasion of the 1980s to the mujahideen years to the rise of the Taliban. Now in Pictures From Afghanistan, Pratt is revisiting the country based on his old photographs, providing a unique perspective as he personally documents life in Afghanistan.
David Pratt spends much of the film reminiscing about his time in Afghanistan as well as the Afghani people he had grown close with while experiencing conflict. During the Soviet invasion, Pratt entered Afghanistan via Peshawar, Pakistan through the Khyber Pass. It was here where the Scottish photographer met Sayed Hussein Anwari, a Shia commander of the mujahideen guerrilla fighters with the Harakat-e-Islami party of Afghanistan. Anwari took Pratt under his wing and the two would associate with one another each time Pratt made his way back to Afghanistan until Anwari passed away from cancer. Were it not for Anwari’s friendship, Pratt would not have been able to have such rich adventures photographing Afghanistan, as he disguised himself in turbans and shalwar kameez worn by locals. In the documentary, Pratt makes sure to visit Anwari’s family and associates as they reflect on Afghanistan’s past.
Pictures of Afghanistan largely explores David Pratt’s past visits to the country, with his images from the Soviet invasion to the rise of the Taliban interspersed throughout the film to showcase his work and drive Pratt’s narrative across. Humanity is an important theme to the documentary, as the photojournalist discusses the chilling loss of empathy that comes hand in hand with warfare. In one scene, Pratt describes how he himself sometimes lost his compassion, which came down to an issue of survival as he and the mujahideen rebels ran from the shelling. In visiting Anwari’s friends and family, David Pratt continues to push his message of humanizing Afghanistan. In the present, Pratt compares the Islamic State’s rise in Afghanistan to that of the Taliban in the 1990s, civil war is still an issue for the country with different players.
Afghanistan is a nation scorned and its people possess a fierce pride for their country, risking everything for the defence of their independence. With the help of director Robbie Fraser, David Pratt through Pictures of Afghanistan, his photographs and storytelling, is able to convince a western audience to confront the realities of warfare in Afghanistan. The Afghans are a resistant people fighting for their freedom, as they continue to endure civil strife and conflict. Pratt — by using his old photographs and the new, updated pictures taken in Kabul — tells the love story he has for Afghanistan and its people.