Biography

Siddiq Barmak was born in Panjshir, Afghanistan, on September 7, 1962. He got his M.A degree in cinema direction from the Moscow film institut (VGIK) in the year 1987.

He has written a few screenplays and has made a few short films and also his first feature film “Osama” in Afghanistan. He was the manager of the Afghan Film governmental organization from 1992 to 1996 and after the establishment of the new government he was once again chosen to manage the Afghan film organization. All his works were banned during the time of the Taliban.

Short films:

The Wall (1983), Circle (1984), Stranger (1986), Documentary, The disaster of withering (1988), Osma (2003) Farsi

Osama, Synopsis

A 12 year old girl, her mother and a boy (spandi) have survived the repressed demonstrations launched by Afghan women at the beginning of Taliban regime. The girl and her mother work in a hospital and soon become aware that the Taliban have dismissed all the people working there and have closed its gate.

The Taliban make sure that no women can get out of their houses without a legal companion (without any member of their family). If they do so they will be punished. To support the family, the girl’s mother, who has lost her job, decides together with the girl’s Grandmother to change the appearance of the girl in order to look like a boy. This decision terrifies the girl. She is afraid of what will happen if the Taliban finds out that she is a girl. To get a job, the mother and the girl go to the milkman who was an old friend of the girl’s slain father.

The next adventures begin from here….

The religious police of the Taliban force the people to go to masque for noon prayer. The girl who is still not familiar with these regulations makes mistakes during prayer session, which then causes a Taliban to become suspicious. On the next day all boys including the girl (looking like boy) are taken to the religious school called Madrassa, which is also the center for military training by the Taliban. After some adventures the Taliban discovers the real face of the girl. The girl is put in jail. The Taliban’s judicial court, which advocates stoning and execution, force the girl to marry an old Mullah. After they are married the girl discovers that she is the Mullah’s fourth wife…

Title: Osama
Directing, Editing, Script: Siddiq Barmak
Assistant Directors: Kaveh moeinfar, Homayon paeiz, Mirvais Rekab, Razi mohebi Cinematographer: Ebrahim Ghafuri
Assistant cinematographer: Reza Sheakhi, Mehdi Amiri
Still: Vahid Ramagh
Soundmen: Behrouz Shahamat, Farokh fadai,
Sound & mix: Mastaneh Mohajer, Hussein Mahdavi
Set Designer: Akbar Meshkini
Assistant Editing: Mastaneh Mohajer
Executive manager: Siamak Alagheh band, Abubakr Atef
Script girl : Agheleh Rezaei
Music: Mohammad Reza Darwishi
Laboratory: Studio Filmsaz
Casts: Marina Golbahari, Khwaja Nader, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar, Hamida Refah, Gol Rahman Ghorbandi
Producer: Barmak Film with cooperates with NHK (Japan) and leBrcoquy Fraser(Ireland).

Festivals:

The first is screening at Directors’ Fortnight section of Cannes
Film Festival, France 2003.

Barmak an interview on Osama, Cannes 2003

Question: Can you talk to me about Osama, about this project, about your desire of film maker?

SB: Osama is a bitter and tragic story of our life. The worst time which nobody had his/her own way to get decision. Osama is the story about identity of those who had lost their identity under Osama’s name. Osama is the story about scare, where people are afraid of even the sounds of the shadows. Osama is the story about the permanent and endless story of women in prison. Osama is the story about a little girl and all the injustice and religious nonsense that is being carried on her shoulder. It was one of my dreams to become a film projectionist. It was my dream to find something in this dark place where there is just one line of light towards the big white screen and now I believe that this line of light can be moved towards peoples minds and make them bright, especially in our country.

Question: How did you get the idea? By your work as documentarist?

SB: When I was in Pakistan, I was looking to make a short fiction film. I was trying to find some special subjects and characters in many different Afghan organizations such as the handicapped, street children and Afghan newspapers in Peshawar. Accidentally I read a letter from an old senior Afghan teacher that told a story about a little girl who had a burning desire to attend school during the Taliban regime, while it was forbidden for girls. So she changes her appearance to look like a boy by cutting her hair and wearing the boy’s outfits. Of course, it was the story that shocked my friends and me.

Question: You were living in Afghanistan during the Taliban’s administration?

SB: When the Taliban took control of the Kabul city, after two weeks I was obliged to escape from Kabul to Pakistan first, but very soon I left Peshawar to the north of Afghanistan. I have tried to make fiction or documentary film there, but all my dreams didn’t came true due to worst conditions of my life as bitter lives of my people in war! After two and a half years once again unwillingly I migrated to Pakistan.

Question: How are you working? Do you have a special method?

SB: No doubt at first when I want to make something I always try to collect as much information as possible, especially the real experience I had in the and also people’s memory and their experiences. Regarding selecting of actors, the first two short fiction films that I made, was with non professional actors and actresses and especially children. To get them play in that way, I used many different styles and methods.

Question: What is your universe? Do you have big influences? Do you have some masters in cinema?

SB: My world is a poem about love which finds itself among the wars, smoke and dust. I love the poetry style of movie. In this case I can say the Andre Tarkovski, Sergei Parajanov,Angelo Polos Gorgain film style like Thingis Abuladza and Otar Eisilyani? of course very near to our language, Iranian film makers such as the great Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Abbas Keya Rustami.These masters have had a big influence on my way of filmmaking.

Question: How long was the shooting of Osama? Where and when did you shoot exactly? During or after the Taliban’s?

SB: More than one year was spent on the scenario. The project started from June 2002 and was completed in March 2003 in Kabul, a suburb of Kabul city after collapse of Taliban regime.

Question: You shoot with digital camera?

SB: No. It was shot by Arriflex 35 mm. B.L 4 cameras.

Question: How do you find your actors?

SB: Generally we decided to select nonprofessional actors and actresses. To find and select the main character we went to look for it in many different sections such as schools, orphanages, street children centers and refugees camps. We selected the majority of our actors and actresses from refugees camps but we found the main character (Marina) on the street.

Question: Big difficulties during shooting? And for editing?

SB: The major problem we had was finding the female actors. This is very understandable in the current situation. The other problem we had was unpredictable cold weather, especially for the first scene, sprinkling of water by machine on the women. We were not faced with any particular problem during editing because we were well prepared for the making of this film.

Question: In France we think authors and director must have real and complete control of their films. What are you thinking about this?

SB: To make a film of course every one can share their advices but one person should be the final decision maker.

Question: What is the cost of your movie? Low budget? Difficult to get the money? Difficult to produce? You made coproduction with Ireland and NHK? How was it possible?

SB: In Afghanistan it is one of the highest budget film productions. The economic situation of Afghanistan is not suitable for such a high budget production. In this regard I am really thankful of Makhmalbaf Film House that assisted us at early stages. No doubt that the synopsis of this film attracted the attention of NHK and our Irelands friends. Of course they found the theme and subject of the film very interesting.

Question: And now what is the future of Afghan cinema? You can take a big place for this & which money? Which help? Are you optimist?

SB: We have lots of things to say to our people and the world and we have a lot of talented filmmakers in our country. For this we have strong cultural bases and literature resources. To realize these dreams we need International assistance and we can now see these first steps being taken towards developing Afghan cinema. I am a big optimist about future of Afghan Cinema.

Question: What are you waiting about the selection of your film by Director’s fortnight?

SB: My expectation is and I hope our nations pain, sorrows and suffering shock the audience and change their mines and point of view about the future of the human being.

Question: Are you going to come to Cannes?

SB: Yes, of course, I want to be the messenger of aspiration and desire of Afghan Film makers in Cannes.