Days after the last U.S. plane leaves Afghan soil, in August of 2021, the Taliban —now in control of the country— enter an American base in Kabul called Hollywood Gate, with numerous military equipment. The new head of Afghanistan’s air force, Mawlawi Mansour, a Taliban whose father was killed by the Americans, orders his soldiers to repair all they can. The men go to work restoring the weaponry and training themselves to use it. Among them is Mukhtar, a former Taliban fighter now aiming to build a high-ranking military career. The film follows Mawlawi Mansour and Mukhtar over the course of a year as the Taliban transform from a fundamentalist militia into a heavily armed military regime preparing for war beyond Afghanistan’s borders. At a moment in history when propaganda and authoritarianism are on the rise across the globe —and when the Taliban themselves are turning to Hollywood-style propaganda as a means to legitimize themselves.

Presented at the Venice International Film Festival and at CPH:DOX.