Film Ireland Podcast

Stephen Porzio talks to Pieter-Jan De Pue, the director of the Irish co-production The Land of the Enlightened. A group of Kuchi children are living in a minefield around Bagram airfield, Afghanistan. They dig out old Soviet landmines in order to sell the explosives to child workers in the Lapis Lazuli mine. Meanwhile Gholam Nasir and his gang control the mountains where caravans are smuggling the blue gem stones to the border of Tajikistan and Pakistan. When Gholam’s gang is not guiding the caravans over the frozen rivers, they dream about Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the Americans. Some of them will grow up as soldiers, others will remain with the caravans. But Gholam dreams about marrying and living with his queen in the palace in Kabul. Will Afghanistan have a new king after the foreigners will have returned home? The co-production was produced by Morgan Bushe for Irish production company Fastnet Films together with Savage Film, Submarine