The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced those shortlisted for the 97th Academy Awards® in 10 categories, including Documentary Feature Film, Documentary Short Film, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound, and Visual Effects.
Among the shortlisted films in the Documentary Feature Film category is “Hollywoodgate”, produced by Greek Katherine Embiricos.
Katherine Embiricos shared the news with her followers on Instagram.
Written and directed by Egyptian filmmaker Ibrahim Nash’at, the critically acclaimed documentary has been praised by major media outlets, including the Financial Times, New York Times, The Guardian, and Variety.
Risking his life, director Nash’at infiltrated the Taliban’s inner sanctum – an abandoned CIA base that the Taliban took over immediately after the U.S. troop withdrawal.
“Every day there was a challenge psychologically to keep going—having to get rid of any emotions or needs as a human being, accepting the fact that you are now part of this community and you need to live the way they live. It was constant suppression of myself. I was never lying to them, I was never telling them, “Hey, I’m going to make you look like heroes.” I was always saying, “I will film what I see. That’s my promise to you, I’m not going to interfere with what I see, I’m just going to transfer the reality as I see it,” said the director.
Katherine Embiricos, the documentary’s executive producer, is well known in Greece for her role as Head of International Engagement at the Museum of Cycladic Art, which recently organized the “Cycladic Gala: Glamor in antiquity” at the MET. “To support its mission, engage its international community, and expand the reach of its impact, the Museum organizes biannual fundraising events at iconic locations across the globe”.
What is also interesting is that “Hollywoodgate” is co-produced by Odessa Rae, the academy award-winning filmmaker of “Navalny” (the Oscar-winning documentary about Russian dissident Alexei Navalny).
Given the recent geopolitical developments in Syria, the documentary is now viewed through a new perspective.
The Plot
Hollywoodgate picks up where the rest of the world left off, in the immediate aftermath of the United States’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Days after the last U.S. plane leaves Afghan soil, the Taliban—now in control of the country—enter an American base in Kabul called Hollywood Gate, reputed to have been a secret CIA station. There they find a portion of the over $7 billion in sophisticated American weaponry left in the country: numerous small arms and munitions, jet fighters, Black Hawk helicopters, and other military equipment. Much of it is damaged, but the base is also equipped with many of the parts needed to fix it.
