Saving Mes Aynak

Saving Mes Aynak
Directed by Brent Huffman
Produced by Brent Huffman
Zak Piper
Xiaoli Zhou
Cinematography Brent Huffman
Edited by Brent Huffman
Matt Lauterbach
Distributed by

US: Icarus Films

Int'l: AutLook FilmSales
Release dates
  • 2014 (2014)
Running time
 60 minutes
Country United States
Language English
A view of Mes Aynak

Saving Mes Aynak is a 2014 independent documentary film, produced by Kartemquin Films.[1] It focuses on Afghan archaeologist Qadir Temori and his struggle to save Mes Aynak, a 5,000-year-old archaeological site in Afghanistan which faces demolition.[2] Saving Mes Aynak was the 2014 recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Grant in 2014.

Saving Mes Aynak premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in November 2014.[3] It later aired on Al Jazeera America and Al Jazeera English networks in July 2015 and was also broadcast on multiple other networks in various countries.[4][2]

The film was directed by Brent E. Huffman. He was awarded the The International Academic Forum Documentary Film Award in 2015 in part for his work on the film.[5]

Synopsis

Saving Mes Aynak examines the archaeological site of Mes Aynak. Though 90% of the site has yet to be excavated, it is threatened by a Chinese state-owned mining company. The copper mining planned there would completely demolish the archaeological site, as well as the surrounding mountain range. Qadir Temori and other Afghan archaeologists must rally against not only the Chinese government, but also the Taliban and local politics to save the historic site.[6]

Save Mes Aynak Day

The filmmakers of Saving Mes Aynak created a "Save Mes Aynak Day" on July 1, 2015 in efforts to promote the preservation of Mes Aynak and the film.[7] The film's director, Brent Huffman, met with Afghani leaders and presented them with a petition signed by 100,000 people favoring site preservation.[7] Huffman also provided the leaders with copies of the film.[7]

Awards and festivals

Institution Category Year
Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels[8] Official Selection 2014
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam[3] Official Selection 2014
18th International Vera Film Festival Official Selection 2015
Millenium International Documentary Film Festival Official Selection 2015
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival[3] Official Selection 2015
American Documentary Film Festival[3] Official Selection 2015
Ahvaz International Science Film Festival Best Director 2015
Archaeology Channel International Film and Video Festival Best Film

Best Public Education Value

 2015
The International Academic Forum Documentary Film Award IDFA Honorary Award 2015
IAFOR Film Asia 2015 and Media Asia 2015 Conference Featured Documentary 2015
CinemAmbiente International Environmental Film Festival Best Film One-Hour International 2015
Arkhaios Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Festival Grand Prize

Audience Award

 2015

References

  1. ↑ "News for Saving Mes Aynak". kartemquin.com. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
  2. 1 2 "Saving Mes Aynak". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 ""Saving Mes Aynak" Filmmaker Receives $50,000 Grant". Northwestern University. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "Saving Mes Aynak". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  5. ↑ "The IDFA Honorary Award 2015". IAFOR Documentary Film Award. Retrieved 2016-01-25.
  6. ↑ "In ‘Saving Mes Aynak,’ a real-life Indiana Jones fights to protect Afghanistan’s Buddhist heritage". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
  7. 1 2 3 Mosendz, Polly (July 1, 2015). "5,000-Year-Old Afghan Historic Site Under Threat From Chinese Mining Company". Newsweek. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  8. ↑ "FIPA to host French Premiere of Saving Mes Aynak". Retrieved 30 January 2016.

Further reading

External links

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