JOY OF MADNESS International Documentary Competition

Go behind the scenes of the first film made in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. Your tour guide is a 14-year-old girl with a camera but make no mistake, these are not ordinary home movies. The fifth and youngest member of her family to make a film, Hana Makhmalbaf survived an attempted kidnapping while on location. Rather than simply chronicle the making of her sister Samira’s AT FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON, Hana presents the stories of a handful of prospective cast members. A Mullah balks after initially agreeing to a role. Two women are fearful of possible repercussions if the Taliban returns. And one family is touched with madness that affects everyone around them.

The drama of Samira’s determined efforts to recruit and train nonprofessional actors is completely absorbing. Beyond that, by highlighting the unvarnished fears and problems of the Afghan people, Hana has produced a starkly realistic document.