We are very proud to announce that Saving Mes Aynak will be the Featured Documentary screened at this year’s IAFOR Documentary Film Award & Festival in Kobe, Japan.
Saving Mes Aynak, a documentary directed by Brent E. Huffman, follows Afghan archaeologist Qadir Temori as he races against time to save 2,000-year-old Buddhist archaeological site in Afghanistan from imminent demolition.
A Chinese state-owned mining company is closing the site to harvest $100 billion dollars worth of copper buried directly beneath the archaeological ruins.
The documentary examines the conflict between cultural preservation and economic opportunity through the lens of the Afghan archaeologists and local villagers who work and live near the Mes Aynak.
Qadir Temori and his fellow Afghan archaeologists are facing an impossible battle against the Chinese, the Taliban and the local politics to save the cultural and historical heritage, which might redefine the history of Afghanistan and the history of Buddhism itself.
Saving Mes Aynak has raised awareness around the world for the need to protect and persevere culturally significant archaeological sites. The Guardian, Examiner, The UK’s Sunday Times and many others have supported the goal of preserving Mes Aynak. Afghanistan’s Mine and Petroleum Minister Daud Shah Saba spoke out against the mining contract between Afghanistan and China, stating that its current form is NOT in the best interest of the country. Saving Mes Aynak is having a real and profound effect on the hearts and minds of the international community.
The IAFOR Docuemtneary Film Award is proud to support to the Saving Mes Aynak project and we very much look forward to screening the film at this year’s Film Award & Festival.