What We Left Unfinished's primary photo
  • What We Left Unfinished (2019)
  • 71 min | Documentary
What We Left Unfinished (2019)
71 min | Documentary
WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED tells the story of five unfinished fiction feature films from the Communist era in Afghanistan (1978-1991), and the people who went to crazy lengths to make them, in a time when films were weapons, filmmakers became...See moreWHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED tells the story of five unfinished fiction feature films from the Communist era in Afghanistan (1978-1991), and the people who went to crazy lengths to make them, in a time when films were weapons, filmmakers became targets, and the dreams of constantly shifting political regimes merged with the stories told onscreen. This tight-knit group of Afghan filmmakers loved cinema enough to risk their lives for art. Despite government interference, censorship boards, scarce resources, armed opposition, and near-constant threats of arrest or even death, they made films that were subversive and, in the filmmakers' opinions, always "true" to life. All five films - THE APRIL REVOLUTION, DOWNFALL, THE BLACK DIAMOND, WRONG WAY, and AGENT - completed principal photography before being canceled by the state or abandoned by the filmmakers. WHAT WE LEFT UNFINISHED brings together newly rediscovered and restored footage from these unfinished films with new footage shot in the same locations, and stories from behind the scenes, as told by the directors, actors and crew who worked on the films. Archival fictions, present-day recollections, and both imagined and real visions of Afghanistan slip and slide into each other in a film that reminds us that nations are inventions, and films can reinvent them. Written by Indexical Films See less
Read more: Plot summary
Director
Mariam Ghani
Producer
Mariam Ghani
Composer
Qasim Naqvi
Cinematographer
Adam S. Hogan
Editor
Ian Olds
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Status
Edit Released
Updated Feb 9, 2019
Release date
Aug 6, 2021 (United States)
Awards
2 nominations

Contacts

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Cast

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24 cast members
Name Known for
Noor Hashim Abir's primary photo
Noor Hashim Abir
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Adela Adim
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Latif Ahmadi
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Asadollah Aram
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The Immigrant Birds (1987)
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Zarghuna Aram
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Baba (1989)
Nemat Arash's primary photo
Nemat Arash
The Hero Cop (archive footage) The Hero Cop (archive footage)   See fewer
The Immigrant Birds (1987)
Shirindad Dakkoi's primary photo
Shirindad Dakkoi
Self Self   See fewer
What We Left Unfinished (2019)
Said Miran Farhad's primary photo
Said Miran Farhad
Self Self   See fewer
Neighbours (III) (2009)
Qader Farokh's primary photo
Qader Farokh
The Gangster / The Commander / The Police Chief (archive footage) The Gangster / The Commander / The Police Chief (archive footage)   See fewer
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Ferida's primary photo
Ferida
The Ingenue (archive footage) The Ingenue (archive footage)   See fewer
Farid Feyz's primary photo
Farid Feyz
The Undercover Cop / The Mujahid (archive footage) The Undercover Cop / The Mujahid (archive footage)   See fewer
Faults (1981)
Jawanshir Haidari's primary photo
Jawanshir Haidari
Self Self   See fewer
Saboor, the Soldier (1985)
Sultan Istalefi's primary photo
Sultan Istalefi
Self Self   See fewer
What We Left Unfinished (2019)
Sabour Khanji's primary photo
Sabour Khanji
Actor (archive footage) Actor (archive footage)   See fewer
The Soldier's Star (2006)
Wali Latifi's primary photo
Wali Latifi
Self Self   See fewer
Bahar mishavad (1984)
Lina's primary photo
Lina
The Nurse (archive footage) The Nurse (archive footage)   See fewer
Esturay Mangal's primary photo
Esturay Mangal
The Mother / The Schemer (archive footage) The Mother / The Schemer (archive footage)   See fewer
Faqir Nabi's primary photo
Faqir Nabi
Self Self   See fewer
Dust (III) (2016)
Mari Omeid's primary photo
Mari Omeid
Actor (archive footage) Actor (archive footage)   See fewer
Abdullah Samadi's primary photo
Abdullah Samadi
The Artist (archive footage) The Artist (archive footage)   See fewer
Moments (1983)
Wali Talash's primary photo
Wali Talash
The Bad Cop (archive footage) The Bad Cop (archive footage)   See fewer
Escape (1984)
Sabour Toukhan's primary photo
Sabour Toukhan
Actor (archive footage) Actor (archive footage)   See fewer
Yasamin Yarmal's primary photo
Yasamin Yarmal
Self Self   See fewer
Enemy (2007)
Habib Zorghai's primary photo
Habib Zorghai
Actor (archive footage) Actor (archive footage)   See fewer
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