Film Lens
Frame by Frame is a 2015 documentary that follows four Afghan photojournalists: Farzana Wahidy, Massoud Hossaini, Wakil Kohsar, and Najibullah Musafar. The film captures their experiences in the post-Taliban era, where they navigate the evolving landscape of free press and photography in Afghanistan. Directed by Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach, the film presents a personal look at their lives and the significance of their work in a country where photography was previously banned by the Taliban government.
The filmmakers, Scarpelli and Bombach, initially set out to create a short documentary about photographers in Afghanistan but expanded it into a feature-length film after raising over $70,000 through Kickstarter. The film employs a cinema vérité style, presenting unique challenges due to language barriers. The all-female crew, along with the filmmakers' identities as foreign women, provided them access to locations that might have been difficult for male counterparts to enter. Scarpelli describes the film as long-form journalism aimed at informing and sparking dialogue about local journalism in conflict zones.
Why Watch
- •Meet Afghan photojournalists redefining their country's narrative.
- •See the impact of photography in a post-Taliban Afghanistan.
- •Follow the unique access of an all-female film crew.
Did You Know
•Frame by Frame premiered at the South by Southwest Festival in 2015.
•The filmmakers raised over $70,000 on Kickstarter for this project.
•The film was shown at over 50 film festivals worldwide.
•Scarpelli and Bombach received praise from The Hollywood Reporter and BBC Culture.
Perfect For
Photojournalism enthusiastsDocumentary film loversAfghan culture advocates