For twenty-five years we have been accumulating a wealth of super 16mm footage from seventeen different shoots, as well as compelling footage from the 1960’s showing the beauty, simplicity and abundance of life in Afghanistan before the war. Some of our early sequences were videotaped off the screen of our Steenbeck editing machine in a process we called a “poor man’s tele-cine.” Other footage was digitized from ¾ dubs of our workprint, made years ago for reference. Whenever we showed a reel of our rough cut, we always apologized for the quality of the images and tried to explain that we were crossing the digital divide into the 21st century while trying to edit this historical documentary.
The film needed extra effort to conform original film materials to the fine cut. The footage shot in the 80's and early 90's was stored in DuArt Laboratories in New York. We reviewed this 16mm footage on our Steenbeck. We then made selected tele-cine of the negative - picture only of course - to digibeta. The old sound, on ¼ inch reel-to-reel tape, was first baked (yes, in an oven!) so that the emulsion would not flake off when we tried to listen. Then the reels were re-transferred to digital format to be edited in Final Cut Pro. We re-digitized all the footage and all the sound before conforming the cut, shot by shot, by eye. As the musical score was designed, we often used traditional Afghan instruments. Over the years, not having the financial resources to finish the film frustrated us, yet every year gave us still more perspective on the story. Always people were willing to help.
The history of the Cold War era in Afghanistan is awash with disinformation. We were constantly cross-checking the accuracy of what we were reading or being told. There are facts – symbolized by the conflicting stories of how Lee Shapiro and Jim Lindelof were killed - which may never be known. Similarly with the assassination of Ahmed Shah Masoud - we know who the suicide journalists were - clearly connected to Al Qaeda – but how were they coordinated to the 9/11 attacks in New York? So little of the history behind the headlines has found its way to the American people. Network coverage is, by its own admission, limited to current events. “Here” and “now” dominate the airwaves. American television is seduced by the ever-changing present, but no insight comes without understanding the past. A history that is not understood, especially through deliberate disinformation, is a history that will come back to haunt us.
We’ve kept files of letters, e-mails, and telephone conversations with the three networks, various cable outlets and PBS, all stating that this film is an important one to be completed and seen, yet they were unwilling to give us the completion funding we needed. We are no longer surprised by their responses. One of these networks contacted us shortly afterwards to try to purchase our footage for the project they were developing about American soldiers, the “21st century warriors” in Afghanistan. Our choice was to remain true to the untold story we have followed for all these years.