Worried about Afghan people, says director Jennifer Alphonse

JENNIFER ALPHONSE,

Titas Chowdhury

At the time of the twin blasts of 2017 in Kabul, Afghanistan, independent filmmaker Jennifer Alphonse was shooting for her feature film, Habeeb. The team had to immediately return to India, leaving the film incomplete till date.

Talking about it, she says, “We were getting constant threats. We managed to shoot for close to 25 days. Thankfully, we captured some portions of what we planned. A lot of equations changed after that and the film got delayed.”

She had planned to release the film this Independence Day but, again, the Taliban invasion in Afghanistan derailed the plan. “Actors and technicians from there were supposed to come to India for the shoot. I was planning to go to Afghanistan and finish the film. In a week, all went haywire,” she says.

But Alphonse is more worried about the Afghan people, especially women. “I’m worried about the security and freedom of the people. I feel so helpless stuck here. If these things fall in place, then they’ll figure out a way for their art and cinema,” she adds.

I keep talking to people I know in Afghanistan, if they need anything. I’ve been praying continuously. The world needs to stand by them.

Filmmaker

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