Massoud, l'Afghan
Christophe de Ponfilly
1998 - 89 min - Betacam SP - Couleur - France

"Afghanistan. A far-away country, at war, that no-one cares about.
When I began this film, 16 years ago, I was going to meet remarkable men including Commander Massoud. Not bogus heroes, not marketing products such as are often produced nowadays. I brought together the traces of this singular adventure in order to survive all this bluffing that surrounds us... and for something more precious that I am going to entrust to you.
These are the first words of this film begun in 1981, in the clandestinity of the war in Afghanistan. In it I tell the story of two struggles : that of a war chief, a charismatic hero of the Afghan resistance when it was holding out against the Soviet army and that of the person who makes the film and questions himself. The story is told through the stages of the fate of a "hero" and a film-maker.
For me, a film will always be a thread, fragile certainly, but which connects us one to another..." Christophe de Ponfilly.