In partnership with the National Film Board – The Canadian Museum of Civilization hosts two film nights on The Many Faces of Afghanistan

In partnership with the National Film Board
The Canadian Museum of Civilization hosts two film nights
on The Many Faces of Afghanistan

Gatineau, Quebec, February 24, 2010 — The Canadian Museum of Civilization, in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), invites you to free screenings of two documentaries from the NFB collection The Many Faces of Afghanistan (2009). These two events offer multi-dimensional evenings devoted to fostering an enhanced understanding of Afghanistan, bringing together art and artifact with film and intimate discussion. The films are The Sweetest Embrace: Return to Afghanistan, presented on March 4, and A Dream for Kabul, presented on March 11. Each screening will be followed by a panel discussion on the people, land and culture of Afghanistan.

The films will be preceded by a performance of traditional Afghan music by Mushfiq Hashimi, and an opportunity to visit the exhibition Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures. This acclaimed international exhibition is currently on displayat the Museum of Civilization.

The Sweetest Embrace (73 min.) tells the moving story of two Afghan schoolboys, Soorgul and Amir, who became stranded in Tajikistan after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Following 16 years in exile, and after coming to Canada as refugees, the young men return to Afghanistan in search of their families. The film is in English, Russian, Dari and Shughni, with English and French subtitles. It was directed by Najeeb Mirza and produced by the NFB, in co-production with Oxus Apertura Films. Soorgul Sakai, the film’s main subject, will attend the screening and participate in the discussion on March 4.

A Dream for Kabul (81 min.) follows Haruhiro Shiratori, a Japanese father who lost his only son in the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. He tries to end the cycle of violence by travelling to Afghanistan to get to know its people, and devotes himself to building a cultural centre for the children of Kabul. The film, co-produced by Informaction and the NFB, is in Japanese, Dari and English, with English and French subtitles. Following the screening, director Philippe Baylaucq will discuss cross-cultural influences on architecture and cultural reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Traditional Afghan Music
Mushfiq Hashimi is a performer, visual artist and founder of the Mushfiq Arts Centre in Ottawa, where he teaches Afghan folk music and other North Indian styles. He began his musical and teaching career in Kabul, but fled to Pakistan after the Taliban destroyed his music academy in 1991. Hashimi settled in Canada in 2001, after earning a Master’s degree at the Rotterdam Conservatory of Music in the Netherlands.

Admission to both screenings is free, but tickets must be obtained at the Museum’s Box Office.

For additional information on the films, visit nfb.ca/Afghanistan.

The Sweetest Embrace: Return to Afghanistan
Thursday, March 4