This is the epic story of Afghanistan - seen through the eyes of an Afghan warrior and independent filmmakers – some who lived and one who died covering the story. Over 20 years we’ve filmed the Soviet occupation; the exile of two million refugees maimed by Soviet mines; a violent civil war; the fatal alliance of the Taliban with al-Qaeda; invasion by United States forces; now, a people still determined to survive.

Murder is an effective way to control world events. Kill a leader, and a country can remain in your control. Kill a people, and the land’s resources can be yours. Kill a journalist, and the truth of what is happening can be hidden from view. But not forever. Ultimately, murder and violence need not conquer the human spirit.

We have a wealth of footage from 20 years of following this story, as well as compelling footage from the 1950’s and ‘60’s showing life in Afghanistan before the war. Our witnesses recall events and tell the story over time – they grow older through the film.

“Shadow of Afghanistan” will be an important film for the Muslim community, who are misunderstood by so many since 9-11. The Afghan people may see the way out of terrorism more clearly than most. As Commander Wakil Akbarzai says in our film, “Your planes were hijacked. My country was hijacked.” This is also a film for young audiences, who know so little about the Cold War era, and are most at risk in this new era of terrorism. We have been struck by how little of the history behind the terrorist headlines is finding its way to American audiences. American television is seduced by the ever-changing present, but no insight comes without understanding the past. A history that is not understood is one that will come back to cast a long shadow.