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Emmy-Winners Gesbeen Mohammad & Robin Barnwell Launch Current Affairs Indie Telling “Stories Of The Year” From Iran, Afghanistan & Beyond
Award-winning producer-directors Gesbeen Mohammad and Robin Barnwell have launched Sisu Pictures, an independent company focused on major current-affairs stories. Its first two documentaries, about Iran and Afghanistan, examine authoritarian rule and were filmed largely in secret, highlighting the risks and limits facing journalists reporting from difficult-to-reach places.
The BBC’s *Iran: The People’s Story* investigates a crackdown on dissent following a January massacre and how the regime has used war to tighten control. Channel 4’s *The Taliban’s War on Women* follows Afghans in exile trying to rescue people under increasingly repressive Taliban rule. With current-affairs budgets shrinking, the founders say running their own company gives them more control over financing and filmmaking; they are also developing two confidential projects and exploring retrospective documentaries.
In short
- Gesbeen Mohammad and Robin Barnwell have launched Sisu Pictures.
- Its first films examine repression in Iran and Afghanistan.
- The founders cite shrinking budgets and risks to reporting.
Explained simply
Iran and Afghanistan have been governed by authorities that restrict political opposition and public freedoms, though their histories and political systems differ. Iran is ruled by an Islamic Republic; Afghanistan has been under Taliban rule since the group returned to power in 2021.
Journalists working in both countries can face serious obstacles, including surveillance and limits on reporting. Some reporting is made in secret or relies on people who have left the country, which can affect what filmmakers can safely document.
Documentaries about these countries can bring events and personal experiences to audiences abroad, while raising questions about how evidence is gathered and whose accounts can be included. Independent production companies make such films outside the major broadcasters, often seeking funding from several sources.