Flight From Kabul

ZIBAA (30), a successful Afghan filmmaker and head of the National Film Organization, recently got engaged to SAMIR (29), the love of her life. Her end-of-summer wedding plans are horribly destroyed when Taliban unexpectedly seizes Kabul, and Zibaa finds herself facing a life-changing decision. As a famous anti-Taliban activist and a governmental employee, Zibaa's life is at risk. While Samir suggests escaping to the conservative, male-dominated south for safety, Zibaa's sister-in-law begs her to leave the country and take her daughters with her. Caught between her love for Samir and her niece's future, Zibaa has only one hour to make a decision.

ZIBAA (30), a successful Afghan filmmaker and head of the National Film Organization, recently got engaged to SAMIR (29), the love of her life. Her end-of-summer wedding plans are horribly destroyed when Taliban unexpectedly seizes Kabul, and Zibaa finds herself facing a life-changing decision. As a famous anti-Taliban activist and a governmental employee, Zibaa's life is at risk. While Samir suggests escaping to the conservative, male-dominated south for safety, Zibaa's sister-in-law begs her to leave the country and take her daughters with her. Caught between her love for Samir and her niece's future, Zibaa has only one hour to make a decision.

ZIBAA (30), a successful Afghan filmmaker and head of Afghan Film, recently got engaged to SAMIR (29), the love of her life. With the wedding scheduled for August 20 and the Taliban's unexpected seizure of Kabul on August 15, 202, Zibaa faces a life-changing decision. Zibaa's safety is in jeopardy because she works for the government and her famous activism against the Taliban. While Samir suggests relocating to the south for her
safety, Zibaa's sister-in-law begs her to leave the country for the sake of her daughter's future. Caught between her love for Samir and her niece's future, Zibaa has only one hour to make a decision. Amid chaos and fear, she struggles with the possible loss of everything she holds dear, including Samir.

Director's note:
Flight from Kabul, my second feature film, is a cinematic testimony to the collapse of Afghan women's dreams and the erosion of democratic values by the resurgence of the Taliban. From a woman's perspective, it shows the multi-layered aspects of urban life in Kabul in two parallel narratives about the present and the past that have been less reflected in the world's media. By combining the love story of Zibaa and Samir with the force for departure and wandering to find a way out of darkness, I attempt to tell a realistic yet metaphorical story about the solid spirit of the Afghan people and their constant displacement due to Afghanistan's geopolitical situation and position. Although real events and my personal experiences inspire my film, it does not have a documentary style or structure. The cinematic language and style are evident through the perfectly calculated mise-en-scène and audiovisual composition.

Producer's note:
This film is the second feature by Sahraa Karimi, an Afghan writer/director, women rights activist and a fighter against Taliban. Following her debut Havahava, Maryam, Ayesha (2019) which premiered at Venice IFF, her second film Flight from Kabul is a story based on the real events of Sahraa's life, when after becoming a Taliban hit-list target, Sahraa was forced to escape her homeland. This project has been supported by CE MEDIA and also participated in the Pop Up FiIlm Residency. The massive media attention the project has received after Sahraa´s announcement of its development promises a significant international reach, and also a global film festival interest. Written, directed and produced by women, our film harnesses the power of female energy and through our unique vision and approach, we wish to shed light on the realities of a region that has long remained unseen.