Jirga (film)

Jirga
Film poster
Directed byBenjamin Gilmour
Written byBenjamin Gilmour
Produced byJohn Maynard
Amirshah Talash
StarringSam Smith
CinematographyBenjamin Gilmour
Edited byNikki Stevens
Music byAJ True
Production
company
Felix Media Pty Ltd
Release date
  • 27 September 2018 (2018-09-27)
Running time
78 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguagesPashto, English
Box office$110,056[1]

Jirga (Pashto: جرګه, meaning "meeting") is a 2018 Australian drama film written and directed by Benjamin Gilmour and produced by John Maynard. It stars Sam Smith as a former Australian soldier returning to Afghanistan to seek forgiveness from the family of a man he killed while serving in the war. The film was shot under extreme circumstances, in dangerous locations and with assistance from the local people of Afghanistan. Deemed too politically divisive to be produced in Pakistan the film moved production at the last minute to Afghanistan and shot in one of the most dangerous regions in the world, Kandahar Province.

Gilmour sought to create a film which showed the beauty of the Afghan country and people as well as highlight the detrimental impact of the war in Afghanistan on Western and Afghan people. He also wanted to create a film in which the line between truth and fiction was blurred. Gilmour stated he wishes to "make an audience feel like they're not quite sure if they're watching a documentary or a drama."[2] It was selected as the Australian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Screen Australia (2 October 2018). Jirga - Behind The Scenes. Retrieved 5 October 2018.