An Afghan Adventure : a unique human tale starting in July 2009.
“After 30 years of war, Afghanistan has lost, among other things, its cultural identity”. These are the words of Atiq Rahimi, the writer and laureate of the Goncourt Prize 2008 who fled his country in the 1980s. For the writer, one of the priorities is to from now on, invest in culture and give Afghans the international respect that they deserve.
Amruddin Afiat Gurg “The Wolf ”, Amrudin “The Singer”, Afiat “The Moujahidin”, Malang “The Philosopher» will become the heroes of an unique expedition: the ascent of Mount Noshaq. With its 7 492 meters, Noshaq is the highest mountain in Afghanistan. To this day, no Afghan has ever reached its summit.
Located in the far north of the country, in the region of Wakhan, Noshaq is a place of contrast and is symbolic of the Afghan people. In the heart of breathtaking scenery, between fertile valleys and snow peaks, with violent winds, freezing temperatures and fields of mines to cross, Noshaq seems like an impenetrable fortress.
The ascent of Noshaq is a rare occasion for our heroes and Atiq Rahimi to share another vision of their country…something other than the messages of despair we are used to seeing in Afghanistan. Mountaineers or Kabulis, religious followers or laymen, each one of their perspectives come together in this portrait of a country under fire.
The director: Thierry Machado
Is a talented professional. He has a passion for mountaineering and has traveled all around the world to the highest altitudes. He is used to shooting films in extreme conditions. Thierry has directed many documentaries and was director of photography for various long feature movies such as Wolf (Nicolas Vanier), The Last Trapper (Nicolas Vanier) or The Winged Migration (Jacques Perrin).
With the collaboration of Atiq Rahimi
Atiq Rahimi fled Afghanistan in 1984 and received asylum in France. Writer and filmmaker, he is endlessly looking for a universal way to express the situation in his homeland. He is the author of Earth and Ashes which evokes the grief and violence tarnishing Afghanistan and won the Prix Goncourt 2008 for Syngue Sabour: Stone of Patience.
Grégory Schnebelen has supervised the production of numerous documentaries internationally oriented on Nature, science, History and Factual such as Untamed series, and Man invented Animal, The Farewell Affair, Murders at the Empire State, etc.
Philippe Gautier is a specialist on Afghanistan. He has already produced or co-produced three long feature movies in Afghanistan: The Soldier’s Star (Christophe de Ponfilly), Earth and Ashes (Atiq Rahimi, who won the Goncourt prize in 2008), and Kabul Kid (Barmak Akram, who was awarded the humanitarian prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2008).