Venice Film Festival will host Afghan moviemakers to discuss Taliban takeover

The Venice International Film Festival has invited Afghan directors to discuss the Taliban takeover with "particular attention to the situation of filmmakers and artists" since the militants seized control of the country.

Renowned Afghan filmmakers Sahraa Karimi and Sahra Mani were invited to join the panel at the 78th edition of the world's oldest film festival, which will be held from 1 to 11 September.

The panel will be held on 4 September at 3 pm at the Palazzo del Casino (Lido of Venice) in the Press Conference Room, according to Biennale's official website.

Topics of the panel will be "the dramatic situation of Afghan filmmakers and artists in general, the need for the creation of humanitarian corridors and the guarantee of the granting of political refugee status, as well as concern for their future and the need to provide for their accommodation once they arrive in Europe", according to the site.

The initiative will also feature the members of the board of the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR), Vanja Kaludjercic (artistic director of the International Film Festival of Rotterdam), Orwa Nyrabia (artistic director of the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam), Mike Downey (president of the European Film Academy) and Matthijs Wouter Knol (executive director of the European Film Academy).

Since the Taliban takeover of Kabul on 15 August, thousands of Afghans have fled the country, many of whom said they had been threatened by the Taliban.

Karimi, who is the first female president of the Afghan Film Organization, wrote an open letter requesting the global film community be the voice of the people of Afghanistan which went viral ahead of the Taliban takeover.

Her feature Hava, Maryam, Ayesha screened in Venice’s Horizons (Orizzonti) sidebar in 2019.