“Hollywood gate”, interview with director Ibrahim Nash’at and producer Shane Boris

September 1, 2023

Ibrahim Nash’at, director, and Shane Boris, producer, on the documentary "Hollywood gate" exploring a former American military base now in the hands of the Taliban.

"Hollywood gate", interview with director Ibrahim Nash’at and producer Shane Boris Ilaria Gomarasca

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“Hollywood Gate” documentary overview

Director Ibrahim Nash’at and producer Shane Boris talk about the documentary “Hollywood gate” screening Out of Competition at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

The Taliban’s swift occupation

The day after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban immediately moved to occupy the Hollywood Gate complex, claimed to be a former CIA base in Kabul. The Taliban found what the most technologically advanced military in history left behind: aircraft, weapons, and valuable military equipment. Baffled by the technology, Malawi Mansour, the newly assigned Air Force commander, orders his soldiers to inventory and repair everything they can. Mukhtar, motivated to one day conquer the world, arrives at Hollywood Gate aiming to build a high-ranking military career.

The Militia’s Transformation

While Malawi Mansour and Mukhtar are focused on maximizing their own personal objectives, their comrades continue to repair the weapons left behind at Hollywood Gate. AK-47s that were once used by the US and NATO are now in the hands of the Taliban; helicopters and fighter jets that were thought to be destroyed now lethally bomb the opposition, creating untold collateral damage in the process; and the use of international documentarians for the purposes of propaganda is now underway.

Over the course of one year, the film exposes the transformation of a fundamentalist militia into a military regime.

Plot

"As a child, I was exposed to many who saw the Taliban as heroes. In my adolescence I questioned this belief, and it led me to journalism. Since then, I have worked across the Middle East and Europe filming world leaders. Most of these people were men who merely wanted me to be a spokesperson for their perspective and an amplifier of their message.
When the Taliban came to power (again), I was stunned. What would happen to the people of Afghanistan? It haunted me. Because of my background and professional experiences, I wondered if I could gain access to the Taliban. If so, this time I would show the world what they wanted me to see and, more importantly, what I saw."
Ibrahim Nash’at

Written by: Ilaria Gomarasca

Out of Competition Venice Film Festival