Afghanistan | Faces of Change

Shot in 1972, these five films present a portrait of Afghan life in the last months before the Russian invasion. The films capture the daily economic and social exchanges in the market town of Aq Kapruk, an area inhabited by Tajik and other Central Asian peoples, 320 miles northwest of Kabul.

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  • Faces of Change | An Afghan Village

    A collage of daily life in Aq Kupruk builds from the single voice that calls the townspeople to prayer, the brisk exchange of the bazaar, communal labour in the fields, and the uninhibited sports and entertainment of rural Afghans. The theme of the film focuses on rural society.

  • Faces of Change | Afghan Women

    The words of the women and their lives in the seclusion suggest both the satisfying and the limiting aspects of a woman's role in a rural Afghan community. Filmed in 1974 in the Balkh Province, an area inhabited by Tajik and other Central Asian peoples the film focuses on women and examines the e...

  • Faces of Change | Afghan Nomads - The Maldar

    At dawn a nomad caravan descends on Aq Kupruk from the foothills of the Hindu Kush. In their camp, and in commerce with the townspeople, the Maldar reveal the mixture of faith and distrust that has kept nomads and sedentary people separate and interdependent over the centuries.

  • Faces of Change | Wheat Cycle

    The people and their labour are bound to the land in the cycle of activities to the sowing to the harvesting of wheat. Without narration or subtitles, the film conveys a sense of unity between the people and the land. Filmed in the Balkh Province, an area inhabited by Tajik and other Central Asia...

  • Faces of Change | Naim & Jabbar

    The hopes, fears, and aspirations of adolescence are expressed in the close friendship of two Afghan boys. As their acceptance of the filmmakers leads them to express their feelings more and more openly, the film grows rich in fact and themes of universal concern. Filmed in the Balkh Province, an...