The Ghan International Film Festival Australia (GIFFA) is celebrating its 10th anniversary in November with a thought-provoking program of short films and documentaries.
Filmmaker Fahim Hashimy, a TAFE SA graduate, established the festival in 2016 with the aim of bringing people together to enjoy the cinema experience and to provide a platform for films made in or about Afghanistan.
A decade on, the festival continues to champion the stories of Afghan people although the focus has changed from being a celebration of Afghan cinema to being more about advocacy.
Fahim concedes the past three years have been challenging for the festival, but he remains determined to share the voices of Afghan filmmakers and the stories that aren’t covered by mainstream news services.
“In the early days of the film festival, Afghanistan was a stable country and we had films being made there," he says.
“We wanted to show Afghan cinema to Australia and the world because their voices hadn’t been heard.”
This year, he says, with the Afghan film industry closed it’s been much harder to source films but the six chosen for the program offer important insights into the country and its people.
“We want people to see the reality of what’s happening in the country, such as what a woman’s life is like now,” Fahim says.
Also part of the program is an absorbing new documentary by Fahim, entitled Salam Sangi, which explores the golden era of Afghan cinema through the life and legacy of Salam Sangi, one of the country’s most celebrated actors of the 1980s and 1990s.
“He was the top actor of that era and he is living in Australia now. It was a big achievement for me when he said ‘Yes’ to the documentary,” Fahim says.
Fahim discovered an interest in filmmaking after moving from his home country of Afghanistan to Iran and then Pakistan.
By the time he came to Australia at the end of 2008 he already had several films on his resume.
At TAFE SA, he studied a Certificate III in English and a Certificate II in Information Technology before pursuing his interest in filmmaking with the Diploma of Screen and Media (Film and Television Production).
Through TAFE SA, he was introduced to contacts at Channel 44 where he produced a weekly TV show, Farda TV.
Fahim also made the 2014 documentary Afghan Cameleer in Australia1860-1920 to acknowledge and celebrate the role Afghan people have had in Australia’s history.
While storytelling is Fahim’s passion, he says running the film festival enables him to support other filmmakers and share their stories.
As he prepares for the 10th anniversary, he says the festival has become a lifeline for Afghan cinema and is playing an important role in preserving Afghan culture.
“I really want people to come and watch the films in this year’s program. You can’t see these films elsewhere and it has taken a lot of effort to get them into the country,” he says.
The Ghan International Film Festival Australia will be held at the Mercury Cinema, Adelaide, on Saturday, 1 November and at Hoyts Cinema, Salisbury, on Sunday, 2 November before going on to Melbourne and Sydney. More information and tickets are available on the GIFFA website.