HOLLYWOODGATE chronicles a sliver of the larger picture around the take over by the Taliban when the United States withdrew from its twenty-year old “forever  war” in Afghanistan. In the time since the Taliban have re-established their control over the ravaged country, they located and pillaged an American military base loaded with weaponry – a portion of the over $7 billion in U.S. armaments still in the country. Unprecedented and audacious, Hollywoodgate is the riveting result of the year director Ibrahim Nash’at spent with the Taliban in the wake of the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Risking his life in the war-torn nation, Nash’at is on the ground with the Taliban when they enter an American base loaded with a portion of the billions dollars worth of U.S. armaments left behind. Driving towards an astonishing and chilling end, Nash’at tracks Taliban leaders as they attempt to transform from a fundamentalist militia into a modern military regime, employing Hollywood-style propaganda to achieve their goals. Director Ibrahim Nash’at (Under the Sky of Damascus) joins us for a conversation on how he gained the access to the Taliban leader, Mawlawi Mansour, why he decided to embark on this very dangerous project and what he hopes people will take away from his remarkable documentary, HOLLYWOODGATE. 

Download MP3 Podcast | Open Player in New Window

For more go to: curzon.com/hollywoodgate

About the filmmaker – Ibrahim Nash’at is a multi-award-winning Egyptian documentary filmmaker based in Berlin, Germany. His career in journalism spans various formats, working with several international channels and online platforms such as Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, Business Insider, AJ+, Voice of America and others. Ibrahim holds a master degree in documentary filmmaking from Met Film School. He co-edited Talal Derki’s latest film “Under the Sky of Damascus” Which premiered at Panorama – Berlinale 2023 and won the Golden Alexander at 25th Thessaloniki Doc Festival. Ibrahim has directed multiple short films which were selected in multiple film festivals around the world. “Hollywoodgate” is Ibrahim’s first feature film which premiered at Venice Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival.

SOCIAL MEDIA

facebook.com/hollywoodgatefilm

instagram.com/ibrahimnsht

instagram.com/talal.derki

86% on RottenTomatoes

“The sledgehammer impact of “Hollywoodgate” comes from director Nash’at peering into the Taliban leadership’s inner circle for a year and finding not even a glimmer of goodness.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety

“The spoils of war are a chore in this fascinating fly-on-the-wall study of the Taliban’s first year in power.” – Xan Brooks, Guardian

““Hollywoodgate” trades these more nuanced characterizations for blunt force storytelling, but its nevertheless incredibly effective.” – Christian Gallichio, The Playlist

“This is an extremely rare exposé of an under-reported story, particularly the inclusion of the growing tension between Afghanistan and neighboring Tajikistan.” – Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com

“Suggests that the Taliban are engaged in an elaborate role-playing performance for which they’re unqualified.” – Nick Schager, The Daily Beast