ALEXANDRIA BOMBACH

Nomadic filmmaker making talkies about truiness

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Outback_April 2018 from RED REEL on Vimeo.

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Kabul, Afghanistan

http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/afghanistan-choice

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Helena practices swimming in a private pool just for women in Kabul, Afghanistan. Helena was born in Iran, but her family is Afghan and has been back in Afghanistan for the last 11 years. She learned swimming from watching YouTube tutorials and hopes that Afghanistan will one day have its own women’s swim team. She says that right now her family is 50/50 on whether to leave or stay in Afghanistan. Sometimes she feels like things are settling down, but when each explosion happens, her family starts to reconsider. “My situation depends on the conditions in Afghanistan. If the conditions are same as they are now, then it’s okay, maybe I’m used to it now. But if it gets worse and as time passes, a suicide attack takes place today, another suicide attack happens tomorrow, obviously you have to make a decision to leave. Nothing is sweeter than your life.”

Image and caption by Alexandria Bombach. Afghanistan, 2016.

For more of Alexandria’s reporting, visit her project “Afghanistan By Choice.”

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Arash Seddiqi packs a suitcase in his apartment in Kabul, Afghanistan a few days before his flight out of the country. Arash recently received a “Special Immigration Visa” to live in the United States. He says he had other opportunities to leave, but he never considered it before now. The turning point for him was the death of 27 year-old Farkhunda who was publicly beaten and murdered by a mob after accusations that she had burned a Quran. Arash now lives in Sacramento, California. “I stayed behind because I strongly believed that all the effort that the international communities were putting into this country and all the efforts that the people who I knew were putting in honestly to fix it - to move this country forward… that it would bring a result for us. But unfortunately, the 2014 election was the breaking point. That’s when I submitted my Special Immigration Visa application. I got approved, but I still had this feeling that maybe things will work out. Maybe this unit of government will be better, maybe this place become a better place. But, it was the breaking point when they killed Farkhunda. Downtown, when she was killed by a group of young people, that’s when I was like, “this is the mentality of our young people here?” And we are living in the capital of this country. What have we done wrong? What have we done wrong?” – Arash Seddiqi. Watch the film AFGHANISTAN BY CHOICE (link in bio) @nytimes op-doc @pulitzercenter #howwechoose #pulitzercenter #afghanistanyouneversee #mfilm16 (at Kabul, Afghanistan)

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Omaid Sharifi paints a mural of the Afghan soccer team as pedestrians pass by on the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan. The mural is one of many the activist group called Art Lords is painting to “reclaim the city” with messages of hope on the blast walls lining the streets. Omaid is a co-founder of the group and spends much of his time on the congested streets working on the murals. Omaid has seen many of his friends and family leave Afghanistan in the last few years. He feels a responsibility to stay, although the rise of insecurity is on his mind. “We are painting in a location right that close to the main two hospitals in Kabul. I had heard that every single day there are around 20 to 27 Afghan soldiers that are killed everyday. That was only a number for me, an average of 20 to 27 Afghan soldiers get killed, every day. But, now that I'm painting here, every one hour, every two hours, these ambulances come in with their sirens on. And, in every ambulance is one, two soldiers, either killed or injured, but they're bringing them in. And that moment you realize that, these threats are very real. And this is happening, a lot of people die, every day in this country. And I... I feel scared, I feel that someday because the roads I travel are the roads are where these explosions happens. Someday, it might be your turn. Maybe you were lucky in the last eleven years. That feelings comes every day.” – Omaid Sharifi - watch the film AFGHANISTAN BY CHOICE (link in bio) @nytimes op-doc @pulitzercenter #howwechoose #pulitzercenter #afghanistanyouneversee #mfilm16 (at Kabul, Afghanistan)

[alexandriared]

My film AFGHANISTAN BY CHOICE comes out today as a @nytimes Op-Doc supported by the @pulitzercenter - link in bio // Dr. Wahid Qaderi kisses his daughter outside of his home in Kabul, Afghanistan. Wahid is a dentist, and his wife Rana is an obstetrician specializing in ultrasounds. In the last month, Rana left with their five children and her in-laws to Greece. “We have to go. We know about the risk of the sea, fighting, and coldness but we don't see a good future for ourselves here. Our life is gone, our children's lives should be peaceful and they should have happiness.” – Dr. Rana Qaderi Wahid stayed behind to try and sell their home. Recently, his neighbor and good friend, who is also a doctor, was kidnapped for ransom. “We may only have a fraction of the life we have here in Europe, but because of our children, we have to go. One has to ask, these doctors that leave Afghanistan – the best doctors in Afghanistan – why do they leave? It’s because there is no security here. For example, doctors that are reached out to by people who are sick will go to their homes if they aren’t able to leave due to their sicknesses. When the doctor arrives, they are kidnapped.” – Dr. Wahid Qaderi #pulitzercenter #afghanistanyouneversee #mfilm16 (at Kabul, Afghanistan)

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Australian Desert Expeditions from RED REEL on Vimeo.

desertexpeditions.org

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FRAME BY FRAME // Theatrical On Demand from RED REEL on Vimeo.

Bring FRAME BY FRAME to a theater near you.

Request a screening at gathr.us/films/frame-by-frame

Learn more at framebyframethefilm.com

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FRAME BY FRAME featured photojournalists Farzana and Massoud join us in NYC and Toronto for #hotdocs2015 #fbfdoc

[thethingsyoukeep]

Today, I was originally going to write a post about the working “lifestyle” of a technomad. The constant answering of emails way past business hours because that’s when your editors in LA are awake, the fear of scheduling a Skype interview when you don’t trust the wifi connection, the 2 hour...

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Thanks for putting this on the fridge @moscarpelli - via @dallasclayton #makeitforyourfriends

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Story timelapse from RED REEL on Vimeo.

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Really falling for Port Townsend #ptff2014 (at Sirens)

[alexandriared]

It's hard to explain the gravity of this gift. For two filmmakers living on the road for many years, it's overwhelming. Quiet. Peace. Stability. Not things we necessarily need, but things that are key to letting true creativity blossom. The edit cave for @framebyframedoc is not so dark now. Thank you Port Townsend Film Festival for having us as your first film fellows. As Thatcher says, "I'm stoked on this domesticity right now."

[alexandriared]

Never tried to bring along any plants during this 4 years of life on the road. Let's see how this works... On our way to Port Townsend, WA for a 3 month film fellowship with the Port Townsend Film Festival - perfect place to enforce the #putpolicy and keep on editing @framebyframedoc. #roadtrip #plantbucket #travelhack #PTFF2014

[alexandriared]

So excited to share this film today...

commongrounddoc.com

Several ranching and farming communities living against the stunning landscape of the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana are faced with the decision of what is to become of this unprotected public land. As the community battles with the idea of proposing more wilderness areas, heritage and tradition are seemingly defended on both sides. When the people begin to raise their voices, they come to find that what is feared most is change.

A RED REEL film, Common Ground was made possible by The Conservation Alliance and three of it's members; CLIF Bar, Osprey Packs, and Horny Toad Clothing.

To learn more head to commongrounddoc.com

[alexandriared]

Thanks @huntermetcalf for setting up the #tintype studio at #MountainFilm!