Another Afghanistan: Kabul Diary 1985 (2003)

An engrossing portrait of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, as it has rarely been seen before. Japanese documentarist Noriaki Tsuchimoto was one of the few outsiders officially allowed to film during the Soviet occupation. Photographed in 1985 during the nation’s civil war, Another Afghanistan reveals everyday life on the streets before al-Qaeda and the Taliban: nomads mixing with urban dwellers, modern apartment buildings next to mosques and bazaars, women attending school or vocational training, the massive turnout on the anniversary of the Revolution. Unfortunately the original location sound track has been lost, so Tsuchimoto himself has supplied a new voice-over commentary.