Directed by Andrei Kavun
In 1995, a Russian plane with a crew of seven was forced to land in the Afghani province of Kandahar and, although there are only five pilots in the film, this is the story of what happened to them when they were imprisoned for over a year. Even though their documents were in order and they weren’t violating any international rules, the captain had to land his Ilyushin-76 freight aircraft on the dusty landing strip when a fighter jet threatened to shoot it out of the sky. While the Russians in their crisp white uniforms demand to see someone from the consul, it soon becomes clear that the Taliban rebels are playing by a very different rule book.
It is an action-packed film. The captain of the aeroplane, Vladimir Sharpatov, used his diaries and memories to enable the filmmakers to recreate the deprivations and difficulties the men endured during their capture. There are English subtitles for the Russians as they undergo torture and make attempts to escape. However, the Afghans aren’t given a voice as they berate their charges and try to get them to convert to Islam, but that would accurately reflect Sharpatov’s recollections. Dramas develop between the crew and their captors that sometimes challenge contemporary attitudes and everyone has to fight for survival when the desolate township is carpet bombed. While Michael Jackson visits Russia, the men, who never actually get named in news bulletins, seem to have been forgotten. They are left to their own resources to engineer a knuckle-biting escape.
The 2010 Russian Resurrection Film Festival runs 8–15 September at Cinema Paradiso and Kandahar will screen on opening night, just before the party that features blinis, balalaika and Russian vodka next door at Oliver’s on James. See lunapalace.com.au for more information.
Lezly Herbert
