Dubai-based Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired MENA distribution rights to Hollywoodgate, Ibrahim Nash’at’s acclaimed documentary about the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US troops.
Front Row struck the deal directly with the producers and is planning a limited release in the Gulf ahead of August 30, which marks the third anniversary since American and NATO forces left Kabul in 2021.
The film takes place in Afghanistan and is a portrait of the head of the Taliban airforce commander and a Taliban lieutenant, revealing how the Taliban established its regime in the country and discovered a portion of the $7bn-worth of sophisticated American weaponry left in the region.
Egyptian documentary filmmaker Nash’at, who is based in Germany, spent a year in Afghanistan chronicling the Taliban’s transformation from an extremist militia into a military regime in the wake of the withdrawal.
The Germany-US co-production premiered out of competition at Venice and Telluride before going on to win awards at Zurich, Adelaide and El Gouna among others. It was this week nominated for best documentary at the Amman International Film Festival in Jordan.
The film is produced by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Talal Derki. It is a Rolling Narratives production in association with Jouzour Film Production, Cottage M and RaeFilm Studios.
On picking up the documentary, Front Row CEO Gianluca Chakra said: “It is our responsibility to bring socially conscious films to the forefront, and Hollywoodgate provides an essential perspective on the complex realities faced by the Afghan people.”
Director Nash’at said: “My hope is that, for the first time, Hollywoodgate can expose the Taliban from the inside out and help return attention to the plight of the Afghan people.”
The documentary is set for a theatrical release in New York on July 19 and in Los Angeles on July 26 through Fourth Act Film before expanding to other cities. Curzon is set to release the film in the UK on August 16.
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