The Land of the Enlightened

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Synopsis

"In this seamless blend of fictional and documentary form, we experience a stunning cinematic journey into the beauty of war-tormented Afghanistan. Shot over seven years on evocative 16mm footage, first-time director Pieter-Jan De Pue paints a whimsical yet haunting look at the condition of Afghanistan left for the next generation. As American soldiers prepare to leave, we follow De Pue deep into this hidden land where young boys form wild gangs to control trade routes, sell explosives from mines left over from war, and climb rusting tanks as playgrounds-making the new rules of war based on the harsh landscape left to them.  De Pue's transportative and wonderfully crafted film confronts the visceral beauty and roughness of survival, serving as a testament to the spirited innovation of childhood and the extreme resilience of a people and country."  - Sundance Film Festival Credits

Watch now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Land-Enlightened-Gholam-Nasir/dp/B01LWSUVHC

Credits

Director & Writer

Pieter-Jan De Pue

Producer

Bart Van Langendonck - SAVAGE FILM

Co-producer

Femke Wolting - SUBMARINE (NL), Morgan Bushe - FASTNET FILMS (IR), EYEWORKS (BE), Christian Beetz - GEBRUEDER BEETZ PRODUKTION (DE)

With the assistance of

the Belgian Embassies in Kabul and Kiev, the Belgian Vice-Prime Minister and Defense Minister Pieter De Crem

With the support of

Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), Dutch Film Fund (NFF), Centre du Cinéma et de l'audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles et de VOO, Belgian Development Cooperation - DGD, Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Irish Film Board, Media Development Program of the E.U., Belgian tax shelter for film financing, Canvas, IKON, Telenet/Prime, ZDF-Arte

Festivals & Awards

Special Jury Award for Cinematography

Sundance Film Festival

Special Jury Award

Documenta International Film Festival

Artistic Vision Award

Docaviv

Audience Award + Professional Achievement

Tarkovsky Fest

Phoenix Award

Cologne Film Festival

Berlinale, IFFR, Festival de Cannes, Karlovy Vary, European Film Awards and dozens of other festivals

Specs

Running time

87'

Aspect ratio

1.85:1

Let's create

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Savage Film bvba/sprl

Fabriekstraat 43
1930 Zaventem
Belgium

Contact information

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