Growing up in Afghanistan: a 20-year journey through war and hope | DW Documentary

The film follows an Afghan boy named Mir over a period of 20 years. A unique, long-term project, the film tells Mir’s story against the backdrop of political developments in Afghanistan and ends with the withdrawal of international troops from the country in 2021.

Award-winning filmmakers Phil Grabsky and Shoaib Sharifi have created a real-life coming-of-age epic in one of the world's poorest and most contested regions.
"Look at the American planes!" shouts Mir - a mischievous boy of seven. He lives in a cave among the ruins of the Buddhas of Bamiyan. The filmmakers meet him in 2001, shortly after the attacks on the World Trade Center. U.S. troops have just landed in Afghanistan. It is the beginning of a seemingly endless war, fought in one of the poorest countries in the world.
The documentary follows Mir over the next two decades, telling a remarkably personal story marked by poverty, destruction, hope and progress. It is the story of a life in Afghanistan. Mir comes of age during 20 years of war against the Taliban, before experiencing the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021. By then he is himself working as a young cameraman in Kabul.
Mir's personal journey is interwoven with the history of his country: The documentary also includes sobering comments from soldiers, politicians and journalists, to provide big-picture insights into the "war on terror".
"My Childhood, My Country - 20 Years in Afghanistan" offers a unique personal glimpse into one of the most devastating conflicts of the 21st century. After 20 years, $2.3 trillion spent by 40 countries and more than 160,000 lives lost, the film asks, was this war worth it? How did the "war on terror" impact Mir, his country and the world? As filmmaker Phil Grabsky says: "I can truly say that there is no film that has ever captured the life of an Afghan family so powerfully over 20 years. And little did we know that the final days of filming would end with the Taliban seizing power."


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