KABUL, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Until recently many in Afghanistan regarded cinema as a dead industry, but the opening of a film festival in Kabul has raised hopes of reviving the industry in the conflict-battered country.
Sahraa Karimi, a determined female filmmaker who was appointed as Director General of the state-run film production company Afghan Film, organized the first-ever film festival in nearly two decades at Kabul University's Fine Arts Faculty on Saturday.
The eight-day film festival was the first one of its kind since the collapse of Taliban regime in late 2001 and the induction of the new government in the country.
"About 100 movies and documentaries made by Afghan filmmakers will be screened in different parts of Kabul city during the film festival to promote the culture of watching movies and reviving the cinema industry," Karimi, 36, who holds a PHD degree in film studies, told Xinhua.
The Afghan film industry, like other national institutions, had been badly damaged due to the protracted war and civil strife.
The Taliban group during its six-year reign, which was overthrown 18 years ago, had banned cinema, music and other entertainment places.
In many cases, the hardliner regime had changed cinemas to mosques or administrative offices.
"The aim of the ongoing film festival is to promote the culture of watching movies, develop the film industry and bolster cinema," Karimi, winner of more than two dozen awards at film festivals, told Xinhua.
Expressing her satisfaction with the festival, she said that the number of participants was beyond her expectation, adding that hundreds of people including women, men and students came to watch movies.
More than 4,000 tickets have been printed for the eight-day film festival and on the second day of screening, 500 people, both male and female, attended the event, Karimi said.
"A total of 100 films and documentaries have made by Afghan filmmakers and artists over the past five decades will be displayed during the eight-day film festival in different parts of Kabul city," Karimi said with joy.
Individuals and private Afghani companies have made a series of films and documentaries at home and abroad to reflect the life and miseries of their fellow countrymen during the past decades of war and chaos.
Currently, a handful of cinemas are displaying movies mostly from Bollywood and Hollywood in Kabul and a few other cities.
However, it is the first time that the state-run film production company Afghan Film is screening its products, which has been welcomed by Afghans on social media platforms.
"I bought a ticket and watched the film 'Hamasa Ishq' (Epic Love). It was very impressive and hundreds of movie fans including boys and girls were in the cinema hall to watch it," Nabilla Ashrafi wrote on her Twitter account.
Organized by Afghan Film in the run-up to Afghanistan's 100th Independence Day, which falls on Aug. 19, the festival aims to encourage Afghans to invest in the film industry and develop cinema in the war-torn nation.
"This is the first time in the past 18 years that a film festival has been held in the country with the objective of promoting culture and investment in rebuilding cinema," Hamayon Paiz, an aide to Karimi and an official of Afghan Film, said with a hopeful smile.
