Complete filmography
Barmak's credits fall into three groups: the films he made while studying in Moscow in the 1980s, the two features he directed after the fall of the Taliban, and a set of films by other directors that he helped to produce.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Divar | Director | Early work from his years of study in Moscow |
| 1985 | Circle | Director | Early work from his years of study in Moscow |
| 1987 | Bigana | Director | Completed in the year he earned his degree at VGIK |
| 1995 | Uruj | Screenwriter | Written while he headed Afghan Film |
| 1997 | The Invasion File | Director | From his years in exile; screened by ZKM Karlsruhe in 2003 |
| 2003 | Osama | Director, writer, editor | Cannes premiere; Golden Globe winner |
| 2004 | Earth and Ashes | Coproducer | Directed by Atiq Rahimi |
| 2004 | Kurbani | Executive producer | |
| 2008 | Opium War | Director, writer, producer | Rome Film Festival critics' award; Afghanistan's Oscar entry |
| 2008 | Apple from Paradise | Producer | |
| 2009 | Neighbor | Executive producer |
How the films connect
Barmak's early films were made during his training at VGIK, the Moscow film school that educated generations of directors from across the Soviet sphere of influence. They belong to a period when Afghan Film was producing features in color and sending its young talent abroad to study.
The decade that followed left little room for directing. From 1992 he ran Afghan Film itself, keeping an institution and its archive alive while Kabul was fought over. After the Taliban took the city in 1996 he left for Pakistan and filmed combat from the side of Ahmad Shah Massoud's forces, work represented by The Invasion File.
Osama, released in 2003, was the film that made his name. It is spare and realist, cast with children from the street and built around silence and looking. In an interview in 2004 he said that he wanted to try something different next time:
“Next time, I want to show reality another way; maybe a black comedy.”
That film became Opium War (2008), a tragicomedy that moves from a single family to the whole machinery of the war. Between the two features Barmak also produced work by other directors, including Atiq Rahimi's Earth and Ashes, and directed the Afghan Children Education Movement (ACEM), which trained young actors and filmmakers.
Where to watch Barmak's films
Availability changes by country and over time. Osama was distributed in many countries and has been released on DVD; Opium War had a smaller release. Public and university libraries with world cinema collections are often the most reliable place to find both films. We do not link to unlicensed copies.
More Afghan films worth seeking out
If Barmak's films interest you, these titles by other directors trace the same history. Each is covered in our history of Afghan cinema.
- Kandahar (2001), directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the Iranian filmmaker who supported the making of Osama.
- Earth and Ashes (2004), directed by Atiq Rahimi and coproduced by Barmak.
- Buzkashi Boys (2012), a short film by Sam French that was nominated for an Academy Award.
- Wajma, an Afghan Love Story (2013), by Barmak Akram, a different filmmaker who shares the name Barmak.
- Wolf and Sheep (2016), by Shahrbanoo Sadat, winner of the top prize of the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes.
- Hava, Maryam, Ayesha (2019), by Sahraa Karimi, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.