What We Left Unfinished

"What We Left Unfinished" was a combination talk/showcase by Mariam Ghani and composer Qasim Naqvi about their film project in progress about missing films from the Afghan Communist era. The film blends scenes and stills from these movies with commentary and interviews with the directors and actors who made them, many of whom were discussing their work for the first time in public. Ghani primarily discussed her research, experiences talking to the Afghani filmmakers, and the various logistics issues working with the Afghan Film Archive in digitizing their entire collection while also working on her own project. Naqvi was tasked with the soundtrack for the movie, and discussed his process, from analyzing Afghan sound design to determining the right music for each scene, and how he went about composing pieces. They seek to bring the little-known historical period of Afghan communism to a wider audience by presenting "lost" movies and the insights they gave into life during that time. Naqvi in particular was fascinated by the fact that Afghan sound artists often made all of their foley not to just mimic the sounds of the scene, but were deliberate in picking which sounds to recreate and how to in order to emphasize a particular element of the visual. The music was usually designed to complement the sound as well, as a more environmental feature than the additive aspect seen in Western films. The music melded with the other sounds and visuals instead of standing out. In order to make the soundtrack for What We Left Unfinished, Naqvi used several contemporary synthesizers and analog electronic music systems to create as authentic of a sound as possible, and tried to mimic the atmospheric cues while still keeping to his own more deliberate style.

As interested as I am in history, the period of Afghan Communism is not one in which I am well-versed, so a chance to combine my knowledge and interest in filmmaking with history was a great experience. It was fascinating to see a film in the tail end of post production, with finished-looking visuals and text but with slight issues in sound mixing, timing, and pacing that would be fixed in the coming months. The concept of selective foley was not necessarily groundbreaking when I heard about it, but I was surprised at the extent to which the Afghan filmmakers employed it. While it detracted from the realism of scenes, it brought far more attention to whatever action was emphasized in a way that contributed to pacing, story or composition that made for a uniquely enjoyable viewing experience. The overall style of the documentary is conventional, with interview and scenic shots interspersed with scenes direct from the films. Some of the modern scenery was filmed by several of the directors, who went to the exact same locations as some of the recovered scenes and re-shot it to give Ghani an opportunity for some creative transitions from old to new, which was fascinating to me as it showed how much things changed (removed flags, streets empty of soldiers or civilians) and how much they stayed the same (buildings looked nearly identical despite a 30 year gap). As someone who enjoys more traditional forms of art and music, I thought that the standard documentary style mixed with the more abstract music was a good synthesis that enabled me to branch out in an environment in which I was comfortable.