Interviews:
With Sonia Zekri in the Suddeutsche Zeitung:
“In the films that Ghani rescued and restored from the Kabul archive for ‘What We Left Unfinished,’ the promises [of Communism] glow in psychedelic colors. There are scenes of parties, whiskey and swimming pools, men with mustaches dancing with women in technicolor make-up, and all have incredible hairstyles. Kabul looks a bit like California, but it’s a sunny nightmare because the plots are brutal and the secret service is the hero of the movies.”
“On the Power of Propaganda,” with Emran Feroz in Qantara
With Alex Teplitsky for Creative Capital’s journal:
“Ghani focuses on five unfinished films that both capture the turbulent events and emotions of the time, and also demonstrate the power and potential of these films beyond their propaganda value.”
Reviews:
Dennis Harvey in Variety:
“What We Left Unfinished is cultural archaeology of special interest to cineastes. Excerpts from surviving footage plus latter-day interviews with the filmmakers highlight the fragility of artistic creation under turbulent circumstances, and provide insight into a hitherto largely inaccessible period in which strict political messaging nonetheless permitted a great deal of intriguing celluloid expression… Most [of the filmmakers] assumed the unfinished features were lost forever… Their joy at seeing their work decades later is infectious. They also share some hilarious and hair-raising stories that recall those of the cinema’s earliest days… Ghani adds another texture to the mix of archival footage and talking heads by including elegant tracking shots through the decrepit (but still gorgeous) interior of what was once the headquarters of the nation’s film industry. Ian Olds’ editing merits special credit in a package that feels amiably unhurried despite its short running time. This fascinating footnote to screen history is further polished by Qasim Naqvi’s attractive electronic score.”
Dan Schindel in Hyperallergic:
“By combining the surviving crew members’ reminiscences with the restored footage, Ghani creates a fascinating quasi-historical document. The films’ versions of then-contemporary events, or their expression of societal conditions, often clash with what the real people recall … We sometimes speak of art as a mirror for culture. What We Left Unfinished interrogates what reflection we see in the mirror.”
Arlin Goldin in Film Inquiry:
“Unfinished’s mere existence serves a testament to archivists and government supported film, and their historical necessity.”
Alex Saveliev in Film Threat:
“It’s a testament to the power of film, a statement on art transcending conflict, a critique of censorship and a trip down a nostalgic, cinematic memory lane.”
Randy Myers in East Bay Times:
“Short yet significant…Ghani digs deep to find films that were never finished, daring ventures wherein real bullets were fired.”
Kelly Vance in the East Bay Express:
“A capsule history of a fascinating but dangerous period in a perennially divided nation.”
Lincoln Spector in Bay Flicks:
“Ghani’s entertaining documentary offers somewhat nostalgic, often funny, and occasionally tragic stories about the making and survival of these movies.”
Malini Ramaiyer in The Daily Californian:
“What We Left Unfinished” shows in stark focus the harrowing, violent details of what happens when creative freedom is impaired, forcing these stories — and all the questions they bring up for the present day — back into dialogue.
Reese Erlich in 48 Hills:
“As the documentary progresses, we realize Ghani is actually constructing a whole new feature film using the clips to illustrate the film makers’ memories and political perspectives … What We Left Unfinished is worth seeing — if for no other reason — to remind us of what happens to the arts when US-backed, reactionary religious forces come to power.”
Peter Wong:
“Excerpts from these unfinished films tantalize the viewer. More importantly, the personal recollections of the makers of these incomplete works illuminate the tangled skeins of recent Afghan history.”