Masuda Sultan, a 23-year-old Afghan-American woman, travels back to Afghanistan to see what has become of her country after 9/11 and makes a shocking discovery.
Documentarian Jon Alpert accompanies Masuda Sultan, a 23-year-old Afghan-American woman, as she travels back to Kandahar, Afghanistan to see what has become of her country after 9/11. Masuda is delighted to see the yoke of the Taliban lifted, but horrified to find out what happened to her family. Seeking refuge from the American bombing, a large number of her family escaped to the small village of Chowkar-karez, 60 miles north of Kandahar. Then, on October 22, 2001, Chowkar-Karez was attacked by the American military. 41 civilians were killed. 19 of them were members of Masuda’s family. Masuda, who supports America's effort against terrorism, wants to know why her family had to die in the desert.
Quotes:
"[Afghanistan: Ground Zero to Ground Zero] was as close as I'd been to this war; and the voice and imagery in this piece were as close to a breakthrough as Moyers has given us in the storytelling power of TV. Or perhaps it was a glimpse of the talent PBS needs to get beyond Moyers." — Christopher Lydon, in Current Magazine
Awards:
JVC Tokyo Video Festival - Video Communication Prize
Credits:
Producer/Director: Jon Alpert
Camera: Jon Alpert, Tami Alpert, Brent Renaud
Editors: John Custodio, Brent Renaud, Craig Renaud
Associate Producers: Tami Alpert, Masuda Sultan, Brent Renaud
Technical Details:
2002, trt 51:45 min, English, Color
; "Afghanistan: From Ground Zero to Ground Zero")