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TVO Original 'The Forbidden Reel' captures extraordinary efforts to preserve Afghan cinema

Award-winning documentary shows secret filmmaker campaign to subvert Taliban

Toronto, ON, Jan. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Co-winner of the Rogers Audience Award at Hot Docs 2020, TVO Original The Forbidden Reel is a gripping documentary from Oscar-nominated and Canadian Screen Award–winning filmmaker Ariel Nasr (Good Morning Kandahar, The Boxing Girls of Kabul), Loaded Pictures, The National Film Board of Canada, and TVO. Available for streaming on tvo.org and the TVO YouTube Channel, the film tells the story of how Afghan filmmakers created a unique national cinema, while under constant threat from Taliban extremists.

TVO Original The Forbidden Reel takes viewers inside the bullet-scarred building where a group of artists risked their lives by hiding the nation’s films from the Taliban. Nasr, an Afghan-Canadian, brings these stories to light in a dramatic feature-length documentary that affirms cinema’s power to sustain culture through even the most challenging circumstances.  

With unprecedented access to Afghanistan's national film archive, and 16 mm recreations shot in Afghanistan, The Forbidden Reel reveals a fresh perspective on the Cold War and the rise of Islamic extremism. Writer-director Nasr incorporates newly restored images from the Afghan Films Archive to highlight the heroic efforts by filmmakers like “Engineer” Latif Ahmadi (The Immigrant Birds) and Siddiq Barmak (Osama) to save a cinematic legacy. 

TVO Original The Forbidden Reel is now available for streaming at tvo.org and youtube.com/tvo.   

Promotional materials are available here.  

About TVO 
Since 1970, TVO has existed to ignite the potential in everyone through the power of learning. Through impactful digital education products, in-depth current affairs, thought-provoking TVO Original documentaries, and award-winning TVOkids content, we prepare Ontarians for success in school and life. TVO’s ongoing evolution as a modern digital learning and media organization prepares us to serve Ontarians for generations to come. TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario, and is a registered charity supported by thousands of sponsors and donors. For more information, visit tvo.org and tvokids.com

About the NFB 
The NFB is Canada’s public producer of award-winning creative documentaries, auteur animation, interactive stories and participatory experiences. NFB producers are embedded in communities across the country, from St. John’s to Vancouver, working with talented creators on innovative and socially relevant projects. The NFB is a leader in gender equity in film and digital media production, and is working to strengthen Indigenous-led production, guided by the recommendations of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. NFB productions have won over 7,000 awards, including 27 Canadian Screen Awards, 21 Webbys, 12 Oscars and more than 100 Genies. To access this award-winning content and discover the work of NFB creators, visit NFB.ca, download its apps for mobile devices or visit NFB Pause.


Jennifer Mair
NFB
416-436-0105
J.Mair@nfb.ca

Claire Ferris
TVO
cferris@tvo.org