Taliban Dissolve the Afghan Film Directorate
The Taliban have abolished the organizational structure of the Afghan Film Directorate and banned its activities, according to Sahraa Karimi, the former head of the institution.
In a post on her X (formerly Twitter) account, Karimi stated that the directorate’s structure was dissolved by order of the Taliban’s supreme leader, and its operations have been officially halted as of today.
She also claimed that not only were the staff members dismissed, but the name of the directorate was changed and replaced with another title.
Afghan Film was a state-run cultural institution established to produce, preserve, and promote films in Afghanistan and to support the development of cinematic art in the country.
After the Taliban returned to power, Afghan Film continued to operate to some extent and was involved in producing certain documentaries aligned with the regime’s perspective.
The Afghan Film Directorate has long been considered the heart of Afghanistan’s cinematic heritage. Despite being shut down or heavily restricted during both periods of Taliban rule, it remained a symbol of hope for Afghan artists, historians, and cultural figures.
Under the Taliban’s new media laws issued by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, publishing images of living beings is also prohibited, along with a series of other severe restrictions on the media.
