We had a great premiere at #Berlinale2019 – here is a preliminary roundup of some of the press coverage, plus some of our favorite quotes translated into English.
PREVIEWS + REVIEWS:
Der Spiegel The 5×3 of Berlinale 2019
Ecran Noir “It encourages us to think of cinema as the art of preserving the past and resuscitating the dead, but also of rewinding, or even stopping, time that never stops spinning. Finished, these films might have been forgotten. Unfinished, they achieve a taste of eternity.”
Kai Köhler, Junge Welt “Ghani conveys insights through the confrontation of the present and past, highlighting unrealized possibilities. While the film’s run at Berlinale is over, hopefully it will return soon on TV.”
Oliver Armknecht, film-rezension.de “While the topic may seem at first glance to be too specialized or historically and geographically distant, What We Left Unfinished is a thoroughly exciting insight into the work of filmmakers. Some parts are universal – the balancing act between self-fulfillment and security likely haunts most in the business – while other anecdotes are amazing and strange.”
Kultura Extra “The rescued movie clips certainly provide enough fuel for future generations to devote themselves to their themes.”
Dana Knight, Vice (Romanian) “This documentary is almost like a thriller … a true kaleidoscope of images and ideas, an extremely concise audiovisual avalanche from which you want to absorb everything, because you will not soon see anything similar.”
Claudio Casazza, Cinequanon “It opens up a panorama of Afghan cinema in which historical facts and national myths intertwine with propaganda and artistic experimentation. The director thus reflects simultaneously on fiction and reality, and brings out a contradictory picture of the history of the Afghan state, which allows us to understand a bit of the dream and disintegration of the Afghan Communist project.”
Schayan Riaz, Dawn “Ghani has fun constructing moments where fact and fiction is twisted … she uses a knotty style that is itself ambiguous, but it’s fascinating and watchable all the same.”
Farsi Cinema Center “Uncovering a brilliant, once-lost history, and retelling the story of Afghan cinema in a new light.”
Worldwide Arts Magazine “What We Left Unfinished offers fascinating insights into a lot of different spheres – filmmaking, politics – and it also makes you want to see more of Afghan cinema.”
Andrei Vasilenko, Current Time (in Russian) “A story of dreams and hopes … reminds us of the power of cinema.”
Snezhana Petrova, Diletant (in Russian)
Emran Feroz, The Hindu (in English)
INTERVIEWS WITH THE DIRECTOR:
Interview with Gesa Ufer for DLF Kultur radio “A special discovery can be found in the Berlinale Forum: Mariam Ghani’s documentary What We Left Unfinished, which casts a glance into the rich history of Afghan film.” (German)
Inteview with Bert Rebhandl for the Frankfurter Allgemeiner Zeitung (intro in German, audio in English)
Interview with Lea Gronenberg for Filmlöwin, the feminist film magazine “Sheds light on the tension between art and politics, aspiration and reality.”
Interview with Clarence Tsui for the South China Morning Post (English)
Interview with Amal Berlin (Dari and English)