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Hollywoodgate

With unprecedented access to one of the most secretive cabals in the world, the Taliban, this extraordinary film begins on the day after the last US soldier left Afghanistan in 2021 and follows a group of Talib leaders in their first year back in power.\n\nDirector Ibrahim Nash’at was allowed, under strict, hostile guard, to follow and film two of the Taliban men now operating out of Kabul airbase: an ambitious lieutenant and his superior, the head of Afghanistan’s Taliban-controlled air force.\n\nJust as the gaze of the world is withdrawn from Afghanistan, Nash’at's camera follows the unearthing of a treasure trove of weapons, helicopters and planes, hastily sabotaged by US troops and part of an estimated $7bn (£5.5bn) worth of military equipment that American troops left behind. Over the next 12 months, Nash’at watches as the new head of the Afghan air force oversees the repair and repainting of the fighter jets and Black Hawk helicopters, in preparation for a military parade.\n\nIn making his film, director Ibrahim Nash’at took extraordinary risks. The Taliban fighters view every journalist as a foreign spy and accepted his presence under duress. 'That little devil is filming again,' one mutters when the camera comes too close. Another says that if he misbehaves, he will promptly be taken outside and killed.

Source: BBC 4