The Land of the Enlightened

Original Title: The Land of the Enlightened

87' | 2016 (Completed)

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Director:	Pieter-Jan De Pue
Producer:	Bart Van Langendonck
Writer:	Pieter-Jan De Pue

Full credits

A group of Kuchi children wage their own mini-wars in the daily madness of life in Afghanistan.

synopsis

In this seamless blend of fictional and documentary form, we experience a stunning cinematic journey into the beauty of war-tormented Afghanistan. Shot over seven years on evocative 16mm footage, first-time director Pieter-Jan De Pue paints a whimsical yet haunting look at the condition of Afghanistan left for the next generation. As American soldiers prepare to leave, we follow De Pue deep into this hidden land where young boys form wild gangs to control trade routes, sell explosives from mines left over from war, and climb rusting tanks as playgrounds‚Äîmaking the new rules of war based on the harsh landscape left to them.De Pue's transportative and wonderfully crafted film confronts the visceral beauty and roughness of survival, serving as a testament to the spirited innovation of childhood and the extreme resilience of a people and country.
Un groupe d’enfants kuchis déterre d’anciennes mines soviétiques autour de l’aéroport militaire américain de Bagram, en Afghanistan. Ils vendent les explosifs aux enfants travaillant dans les mines de lapis lazuli. Pendant ce temps, Gholam Nasir et son gang d’enfants contrôlent la région montagneuse où les caravanes de contrebande passent chargées de pierres précieuses pour rejoindre le Tadjikistan et le Pakistan.
Een groep Afghaanse kinderen van de Kuchi-stam graaft oude Sojvetmijnen op en verkoopt de explosieven aan kinderen die lapis lazuli delven in een mijn. Als ze niet hardop dromen over de dag waarop het Amerikaanse leger zich eindelijk uit hun land zal terugtrekken, houdt een andere kinderbende de karavanen die de blauwe edelstenen door het dorre Pamirgebergte smokkelen, nauwlettend in de gaten.

Credits

Director
Pieter-Jan De Pue
Producer
Bart Van Langendonck
Writer
Pieter-Jan De Pue
Editing
David Dusa, Stijn Deconinck
Photography
Pieter-Jan De Pue
Music
Denis Clohessy

Format

Creation details

Type
Film
Category
Doc
Production share
Majority Flemish Production
Belgium
Genre
Year of production

2016
Production status
Completed
Original title
The Land of the Enlightened
Original language
English, Russian, Farsi, Pashtu, Uzbek, Waghi, Khyrgyz

Technical specs

Running time
87'
Aspect ratio
1.85:1
Colour
Colour

Contact & sales

Contact

Savage Film

Fabrieksstraat 43
1930 Zaventem
Belgium

T +32 2 711 4291
info@savagefilm.be

www.savagefilm.be

Details
Sales

Films Boutique

Skalitzer Strasse 54 A
DE-10997 Berlijn
Germany

T +49 30 6953 7850
contact@filmsboutique.com

www.filmsboutique.com
Distribution
- the Netherlands: Periscoop Film (theatrical)
- Ireland: Wildcard Distribution (theatrical)

Festivals & awards

Festivals

2016: World Cinema Documentary Competition - Sundance Film Festival (US); IFFR/International Film Festival Rotterdam (NL); Hong Kong International Film Festival (HK); Ambulante (MX); Grand Angle - Visions du Réel (CH); Documenta International Film Festival (ES); World Showcase - Hot Docs International Documentary Festival (CA); DocVille Film Festival (BE); Documentary Edge Festival (NZ); MOOOV Film Festival (BE); Tarkovsky Film Festival "Zerkalo" (RU); DocAviv - Tel Aviv International Documentary Film Festival (IL); Anonimul Film Festival (RO); Sheffield Doc/Fest (UK); Cologne Film Festival (DE); Doc@PÖFF - Black Nights International Film Festival (EE); Olympia Film Festival (GR); Transilvania Film Festival (RO); Valletta Film Festival (MT); Sidney International Film Festival (AU); Biografilm International Film Festival (IT); Art Film Fest Kosice (SK); Afi Docs (US); Transatlantyk Film Festival (PL); Filmfest München (DE); Cinema City (RS); Taipei IFF (TW), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (CZ); Golden Apricot Film Festival (AM); Odessa International Film Festival (UA); New Horizons Film Festival (PL); Melbourne International Film Festival (AU); Lemesos Int'l Documentary Festival (GR); DokuFest (KS); Lima Film Festival (PE); Ambulante Colombia (CO); Neue Heimat Film (DE); International Film Festival 'Manaki Brothers'(MK); Batumi Film Festival (GE); Bergen International Film Festival (NW); DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (KR); War on Screen IFF (FR); Festival du Nouveau Cinema (CA); Film from the South (NW); Unabhaengiges FilmFest (DE); Mumbai Film Festival (IN); International Film Festival of Curitiba Biennial (BR); Scanorama IFF (LT); Panorama of the European Film (EG); PHI Centre (CA); Minsk Listapad (BY), Braunschweig International Film Festival (DE); Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival (DE); Costa Rica IFF (CR); Autrans International Mountain Film Festival (FR); This Human World/Human Rights Film Festival (AT); Cinema Vérité - Iran International Documentary Film Festival (IR); Pune International Film Festival (IN); Doc Point (FI); ZagreDox (HR); Tempo Documentary Festival (SE); Hawaii European Film Festival (HI)

Awards

2016: World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography - Sundance Film Festival (US), Special Jury Award - Documenta Madrid (ES), Audience Award + Professional Achievement Award - Tarkovsky Film Festival "Zerkalo" (RU); Artistic Vision Award - DocAviv (IL); Audience Award - Anonimul Film Festival (RO); Phoenix Award - Cologne Film Festival (DE); Audience Award - Olympia Film Festival (GR); Audience Award - Costa Rica International Film Festival (CR); Nomination Best European Documentary - European Film Awards (PL)

Partners

Co-production partners

Fastnet Films (IR), Gebrueder Beetz Produktion (DE), Submarine (NL), ZDF-Arte (DE), VRT-Canvas (BE), IKON (NL), Scio Productions (BE);_x000D_ In association with: Arte, Eyeworks, Telenet, Prime, Sciapode

Supported by

the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), the Belgian Tax Shelter for Film Financing, NFF, CCA de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles et de VOO, Bord Scannán na hÉireann – the Irish Film Board, Media Dev. Program of the E.U., Belgian Development Cooperation - DGD