Dir. Zabou Breitman and Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec, 2019, 81 min
In French with English Subtitles

Based on Yasmina Khadra’s eponymous best-selling novel, The Swallows of Kabul is set in the summer of 1998 in the Afghan capital under Taliban rule. In the midst of a repressive and unforgiving regime, Zunaira and Mohsen are young and deeply in love, while Mussarat and her husband Atiq suffer terribly. One day, a foolish gesture causes life to take an irrevocable turn, upending the fates of these two Afghan couples.

Critically embraced following its premiere at the Cannes Film festival, the harrowing film brings this powerful story to life through shimmering watercolor-style animation that accentuates the region’s sun-bathed landscapes and the brutality of life under the Taliban regime.

Made in Paris.