Afghanistan in the Cinema

In this timely critical introduction to the representation of Afghanistan in film, Mark Graham examines the often surprising combination of propaganda and poetry in films made in Hollywood and the East. Through the lenses of postcolonial theory and historical reassessment, Graham analyzes what these films say about Afghanistan, Islam, and the West and argues that they are integral tools for forming discourse on Afghanistan, a means for understanding and avoiding past mistakes, and symbols of the country's shaky but promising future. Thoughtfully addressing many of the misperceptions about Afghanistan perpetuated in the West,Afghanistan in the Cinemaincorporates incisive analysis of the market factors, funding sources, and political agendas that have shaped the films. The book considers a range of films, beginning with the 1970s epicsThe Man Who Would Become KingandThe Horsemenand following the shifts in representation of the Muslim world during the Russian War in films such asThe BeastandRambo III.Graham then moves on to Taliban-era films such asKandahar, Osama,andEllipsis,the first Afghan film directed by a woman. Lastly, the book discusses imperialist nostalgia in films such asCharlie Wilson's Warand destabilizing visions represented in contemporary works such asThe Kite Runner.

Mark Graham is the author of How Islam Created the Modern World and several works of fiction, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award–winning novel The Black Maria: A Mystery of Old Philadelphia. He lives in Pennsylvania.