Shadow of Afghanistan

Starting from the very beginning of the political conflict in the modern history of Afghanistan, the struggle by the local people to survive war, terror, misery and political betrayal is depicted through the eyes of several important fighters for truth. Cameraman Lee Shapiro vanished in the mountains of the Paktia province, where the guerilla war against the Soviets was the toughest. Some of his footage and touching diary notes survived. His friend Carmen Zuniga, who was once his sound engineer, returns twelve years later to look for the facts surrounding his death. Jim Burroughs, the co-director and cameraman of this film, returned to the war zone several times, capturing disturbing events like the American bombing that nobody wanted to air, the atmosphere around the killings of foreign journalists, and testimoney by Taliban prisoners. Interweaving the mysterious disappearance of Shapiro and the experiences of the Afghan freedom fighter Wakil Akbarzai with the chronology of the foreign invasion of Afghanistan, the directing duo creates the amazing story of the dramatic human and political changes that occurred in this country over the past twenty years. Archival footage and personal views of Russian and Afghan soldiers, Taliban followers and America haters, and never-before-seen disturbing al-Qaida footage are put into context, which creates a very interesting historical testimony. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)