Afghan Spring

Dir. Hiroko Kumagai, Abdul Latif, and Noriaki Tsuchimoto. 1989, 116 min. 16mm. In Japanese with English subtitles. Tsuchimoto collaborated with Japanese director Hiroko Kumagai and Afghan director Abdul Latif on this incisive and wearily hopeful journey across an Afghanistan newly liberated from the Soviet Union. “Now, 70 years after becoming the first Asian nation to win freedom from colonial rule, they aim to build their country anew,” reads the film’s opening title—which registers as utterly heartrending three decades on. Wandering through villages, parades, and factories, and privileging a person-to-person directness, Afghan Spring unfolds as a wizened companion piece to Tsuchimoto’s 1968 Soviet meditation World of the Siberians. The guiding voices of Kumagai and Latif further the film a communal spirit, and sparse touches of an ethereal electronic score from Midori Takada crystallize a frozen-in-time poignancy. Tsuchimoto’s last major feature reaffirms his undying allegiance to the global struggles of humanity.

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.