Over the past four years, in addition to imposing other restrictions and bans, the Taliban have prohibited cinema activities in the country and demolished a cinema building in Kabul. Many cinematic works are about to be destroyed, and no one has released any information about the state of the Afghan Film archive during this period. This has heightened concerns among filmmakers that the Taliban may be eliminating it. Findings from this report show that since taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have adopted a dual but deliberate approach toward cinema. They initially began gradually removing films and television series from domestic broadcasters, and then shut the doors of cinema halls to the public. At the same time, through systematic policies, they eliminated the presence of women in films. Yet during this same period, they also held a film festival, an act largely perceived as symbolic. According to findings by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, the Taliban have so far produced nine films and one television series. Several Iranian filmmakers have cooperated with them in producing these works. The content of these films portrays poverty as a religious value and moral virtue. Women are absent from these productions.
The Taliban shut down “Afghan Film”, the only official institution for film production, support, and archiving in Afghanistan. Afghan cinema, which once began with narratives of love, friendship, and the daily lives of the people, has now, through ideological productions praising bombers and suicide attacks, while simultaneously being censored and inaccessible to the public, effectively come to an end.
This report is based on field investigations and interviews with several filmmakers and former Afghan Film employees inside and outside the country. Several exiled filmmakers have expressed concern about the fate of the Afghan Film Archive. This archive had been transferred to the Presidential Palace during the Republic era, and there are now fears that it may be destroyed by the Taliban. Filmmakers state that if no information is released confirming the preservation of this archive, concerns will grow over the complete loss of Afghanistan’s visual historical memory.
Filmmakers in the country state that the importance of Afghan Film is not only due to its role in the field of art and cinema, but also because this institution holds a significant part of Afghanistan’s visual history. According to them, the archive contains documentary films from the period of World War II, the “Anglo-Afghan Wars,” the travels of Amanullah Khan from the beginning of his reign in 1919, as well as documentary and feature films from the eras of Mohammad Zahir Shah and Mohammad Daoud Khan. In addition, documentaries of the country’s historical and cultural heritage and films related to the government of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) are also archived in Afghan Film.
Step-by-step Measures by the Taliban Toward the Complete Elimination of Afghan Film
With the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, the country’s cultural and artistic sphere underwent extensive and severe restrictions. From the first days of their control over Kabul, this group moved step by step to suppress art, particularly cinema.
As the first measure, on November 21, 2021, the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice issued an eight-article directive. According to this directive, the display of women’s faces, their presence in television series, and the broadcasting of their voices in many television programs were banned. This decision led to the widespread removal of women from the media.
A few weeks later, on December 20, 2021, the Taliban-run Kabul Municipality announced the launch of a campaign to “cleanse un-Islamic images” from city signboards, advertisements, and billboards. Photos published from this action showed women’s faces on salon and shop signs being covered with paint. On September 26, 2023, the Taliban decided to lease the historic Aryub Cinema building. This cinema, which had previously been converted into a parking lot, was considered one of the key symbols of Afghanistan’s cinema scene due to its unique architecture.
A few months later, on May 24, 2022, sources at Kabul University reported that the Taliban had destroyed several statues belonging to the Faculty of Fine Arts and had deactivated parts of the faculty. This action was interpreted as a direct attack on the visual arts.
On August 29, 2022, the Taliban granted limited permission to several cinemas in Kabul, including Ariana and Nama Rasana Institute, to host the “Did-e Naw Film Festival.” In this festival, 37 short documentaries were screened, some produced by the Taliban-controlled Afghan Film, and others were independently produced works.
Continuing this trend, on March 22, 2023, the Taliban-run Kabul Municipality announced that the historic Khairkhana Cinema would be completely demolished to make way for a commercial market, a mosque, and residential blocks. This cinema had been one of the oldest and most recognized cinema halls in the capital. Finally, on May 13, 2025, the Taliban officially dissolved Afghan Film, the only state cinema institution in the country. With this action, the last remaining hopes for the revival of formal cinema in Afghanistan were extinguished, and one of the most important institutions for production, archiving, and support of national cinema was consigned to history.
Contradictions in the Taliban’s Cultural Approach
The Taliban have outwardly attempted to present themselves as supporters of culture and the arts through measures such as organizing the “Did-e Naw” film festival. However, in practice, by dissolving cultural institutions, demolishing cinemas, completely removing women from cinema and media, and imposing extensive censorship on films and music, they have revealed their restrictive and authoritarian stance. Cinema experts state that these actions by the Taliban are largely for propaganda purposes and do not contribute to any genuine change in the group’s cultural outlook.
The Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, in addition to causing deep regression in every aspect of collective and economic life, marked the beginning of a bleak and oppressive era for the country’s cinema. Following the Taliban’s return to power, the majority of artists and filmmakers left the country.
During this period, the Taliban held a festival under the name “Did-e Naw,” yet simultaneously issued strict orders banning the presence of women in films, prohibiting the broadcasting of their voices, and removing television series and cultural programs from the media.
Over the past four years, the group has produced nine films and one television series. Women are absent from all of these productions. The content of these films promotes the Taliban’s ideology, denigrates the former government, condemns democratic values, and glorifies suicide attacks and the group’s warfare.
According to the report’s findings on Taliban films, titles such as Bagram Prison, Pul-e Company, Kabul Retaining Walls, State Gardener, A Working Day of a Police Commander, and Ninth of Sunbula constitute only part of the productions made with government funding. These films were produced to legitimize the Taliban’s rule and highlight the failures of the previous government. According to the report’s findings, most of these films are propagandistic in nature rather than artistic narratives, and their production was largely carried out by inexperienced filmmakers or novice students.
Based on the report’s findings, in the initial stages, one of these films was assigned to be directed by a woman, but when it came time for the festival, the Taliban prevented her participation. Although permission was later granted, filmmakers say this incident reflects the group’s exclusionary view of women in cinema. According to many filmmakers, these productions are not professional works but experimental outputs created in the absence of Afghanistan’s elite filmmakers.
The report further reveals that the Taliban have produced some of these films in cooperation with Iranian filmmakers. Specifically, an association in Iran named “Mowj Audio and Visual Production Institute” has played a significant role in producing and implementing these projects. The series that appears to have been made by “Nama Film” was, in reality, the result of coordination by this Iranian association. The budget was provided by the Taliban and the Institute, while the implementation of the project was carried out by the Mowj Audio and Visual Production Institute.
Sayed Ahmad Shekab Mousavi, a professor in the Department of Cinema at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Kabul University, who is currently a visiting researcher at Columbia University in New York, says the following about these films: “When one of the officials from the Mowj Association asked me to collaborate with them, I told him explicitly that I had fled from the Taliban and could not work with them. But what I found interesting was how an Iranian filmmaker had agreed to work with the Taliban. There is a big question here: someone who cannot enter Afghanistan without special coordination, how is he easily making films there?”
He adds: “The style of storytelling, shot composition, narrative structure, and filmmaking technique in these series are entirely characteristic of Iranian cinema. These similarities are not coincidental. They indicate a coordinated project aimed at presenting a seemingly cultural image of the Taliban.”
Mousavi further states that during their second rule, the Taliban closed five cinema halls and left only one open for holding the festival. He adds: “In their first regime, the Taliban burned films and television series, eliminated female actors, banned music, and only allowed religious chants and hymns. Now the same policy continues, but in a different guise. However, one point is clear: this time, the Taliban are constructing a visual history of themselves; a history built on censorship, exclusion, and distortion, but ultimately a history that will remain as their legacy.”
Filmmaking in Exile: The Art of Resistance Against Taliban Repression
Although filmmakers from Afghanistan in exile describe filmmaking as “the best form of revenge” against the Taliban, they state that they face numerous challenges in the countries where they have sought refuge. They add that financial constraints, lack of access to technical facilities, residency difficulties, and the absence of professional opportunities have made the production of their artistic works significantly more difficult. According to them, forced migration has severed their connection with domestic audiences, leaving the cultural space of the country out of reach. Despite this, they continue their efforts to convey the voices of the people of Afghanistan to the world through cinema.
Ahmad Aryubi, former head of Aryub Cinema, says: “When the younger generation sees only these limited and weak films, they form the impression that we are a backward country, incapable of producing films or maintaining a presence on the global stage. The films of other countries present their cultural, political, and economic power to the world, but this is not the case for us. When our generation only sees these films, it creates in them a sense of weakness and inferiority in the face of the world.”
Marina, a filmmaker residing in France, says: “Life in exile is a major challenge. Some may be able to work hard and build their path, but for many, it is extremely difficult. I know individuals with distinctive talents who have no place in the cinema of Afghanistan while living in European countries. I myself have been living in France for more than 10 years. During this time, I have acted in two art films, one documentary, and one series, while in 2014 alone, I acted in seven films in Afghanistan.”
This filmmaker, referring to fragmentation and the lack of unity among artists from Afghanistan, says: “The reality is that we have never been able to organize a joint gathering to discuss the cinema of Afghanistan. We are educated individuals with knowledge of cinema, but we lack cohesion. In France, I know many artists who, if they came together, could produce remarkable works with the smallest resources. Unfortunately, most people think only of their personal interests, not about the cinema of Afghanistan.”
Shekab, another filmmaker from Afghanistan living abroad, also speaks about the hardships of migration and its impact on artistic work: “Migration is a bitter experience, and one cannot easily move past it. When you were in Afghanistan, you were an artist and the voice of the people, but in exile, the nature of your work and your perspective changed. That change in perspective was a difficult phase for me.”
During their first reign, the Taliban burned film reels, and now they have closed most cinema halls. Of the five cinema halls in Kabul, only one has been left open for holding festivals.
Findings of the report regarding the situation of cinema in the country show that conditions for filmmakers and cinema halls in Afghanistan under the Taliban are significantly more critical than in the past. Cinema halls have been shut down, filmmaking poses security threats to individuals, and a new dark chapter in the history of the country’s cinema has emerged. Severe censorship, ideological restrictions, and the declaration of cinema as forbidden by the Taliban have effectively made all cinematic activity impossible.
Shekab says: “During the Taliban’s first rule, they burned film reels, and now they have closed cinema halls. Only the Ariana Cinema remains active, which is more like a political joke. After their return to power, the Taliban closed five cinema halls and only one has been left open, where festivals are also held.”
This film director adds, “Shutting down cinema halls is like blinding a society so that it sees less. I had heard that during the civil war, cinema halls were used as bases by various groups. In the Taliban’s first era, cinema halls were destroyed, and now some of them have been converted into mosques or other buildings. A cinema hall, regardless of how its function changes, is still a cinema hall. If others forget, I remember that it was once a cinema.”
Akbar Khan (pseudonym), an employee of the Afghan Film, confirms that Iranian filmmakers have come to Afghanistan to collaborate with the Taliban. He says, “Neighboring countries such as Iran, which have made global progress, are striving to make their voices heard through films. Even Pakistan, which we did not consider seriously, has made notable advancements. But our situation is extremely dire, and this regression is setting us back a hundred years, forcing us to start again from zero.”
The Difficult Lives of Filmmakers in Afghanistan
Sabera Sadat, a film actress, describes the harsh conditions of her life: “After activities were restricted and I lost my job at the Theater Directorate, where I was working as an actress at that time, my living conditions became extremely difficult. I was the breadwinner of my family, and this situation negatively affected both my morale and my artistic identity. I was unable to leave Afghanistan because of my children, as my life depends on them.”
Ms. Sadat adds, “The situation is very bad. The Afghan Film Directorate has now been renamed to ‘Audio and Visual Directorate,’ and as the saying goes, ‘the name tells the whole story.’ Filmmakers inside the country are facing numerous challenges. In my view, under the current circumstances, there is no hope for the revival of cinema.”
The actress emphasizes: “If another opportunity arises, the first thing I will do is make a documentary film about my own life. Even if I do not have the means, I will try. In the absence of cinematic activity, I have no source of income, and I live with countless difficulties alongside my ill husband and unemployed children.”
Harsh Conditions for Filmmakers and Severe Taliban Censorship
According to the findings of this report, the Taliban allow filmmakers to operate only under strict conditions. The first requirement is that the film’s script must initially be submitted to the Taliban, and after the film is completed, it must be reviewed again. Permission to screen the film is granted only if it fully aligns with the group’s demands. Additionally, the participation of women in films is completely prohibited. Under these conditions, Afghanistan’s film industry has effectively been shut down, leaving no hope for reopening or the resumption of free artistic activity. Many filmmakers have left the country, and those who remain live in poverty and despair.
You can read the Persian version of this investigative report here:
هنر در اسارت ایدئولوژی؛ چگونه طالبان سینمای افغانستان را خاموش کردند
