Oscar-Nominated Director James Longley Talks His Afghanistan Documentary ‘Mohabat’ and Why His Next Film Will Center on the Rohingya Genocide (EXCLUSIVE)
James Longley says his next documentary will focus on the Rohingya genocide, a subject he began filming with producer Diane Weyermann before her death in 2021. He argues that, despite formal recognition of the genocide by the United States, the EU and the British government, no feature documentary has yet been made about it.
His latest film, “Mohabat”, which won the top award at the Ji.hlava Documentary Film Festival, follows a 12-year-old Afghan boy trying to support his family after a US drone strike killed his father. Longley says he spent two years filming and wants the film to help Western audiences understand Afghan experiences during the 20-year war and under Taliban rule. The Rohingya project is planned ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 2017 genocide.
In short
- James Longley plans a documentary on the Rohingya genocide.
- “Mohabat” follows a boy whose father was killed in a drone strike.
- Longley says no feature documentary has covered the Rohingya genocide.
Explained simply
The Rohingya are a mostly Muslim minority from Myanmar, where they have faced decades of discrimination and restrictions on movement and citizenship. In 2017, a military crackdown drove hundreds of thousands across the border into Bangladesh; the United States, European Union and British government have formally recognised the violence as genocide.
James Longley is a documentary filmmaker whose earlier film about Iraq earned him an Oscar nomination. His film “Mohabat” follows a young Afghan boy supporting his family after a US drone strike killed his father, placing one family’s experience within the wider history of the US-led war in Afghanistan and life under Taliban rule.
Longley has said he began filming about the Rohingya with producer Diane Weyermann, who died in 2021. A feature documentary could bring the history and impact of the violence to audiences unfamiliar with the community and its displacement.
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