Short Synopsis

“Kabul’s Nightingale” is the story of an Afghan hero. It is not only his personal story, however, but the one of his country, his people and their culture.

Afghans call Ahmad Zahir “The Afghan Nightingale” or “The Diamond of the East”. Thirty years after his mysterious death he is still one of the most famous musicians of Afghanistan and the Afghan Diaspora. Zahir is the most famous contemporary Afghan musician and also a star in South and Central Asia. History will make him the biggest entertaining artist, one who crucially shaped the country’s music, even though his life came to an end much too early. He was icon and youth idol of the 60s and 70s. With his music and his way of live he symbolized a free and modern Afghanistan.

“Kabul’s Nightingale” is a journey between past, presence and vision of the future. A journey between home and diaspora. A journey amidst different generations with their respective memories, imaginations and the search for identity they all go through. The figure accompanying this journey is Ahmad Zahir – he makes it possible and his presence in the film ties it all together. What makes him immortal? How does his artistic heritage live on? Why is his music the soundtrack of many Afghan’s childhoods, including my own? How can a country that endured such pain and loss forget all that for a moment, when the name “Ahmad Zahir” is mentioned? Why can I find my Afghan childhood memories only when Zahir’s with me? Not only his talent, his touching lyrics or his character make him immortal – there’s something else. During the long and bitter war, Zahir became a bearer of the nation’s identity, both in the country and abroad. He links present Afghanistan to the time of peace. Even today he stands for values and hopes of many. Ahmad Zahir serves also as a bridge between the Afghans in the country and the exilers living abroad.

The movie is set in two places, Kabul and Hamburg. One is right next to the mountains, the other one is right next to the sea. Both are connected with each other by Ahmad Zahir’s music. Over 15.000 exiled Afghans make Hamburg Europe’s biggest Afghan community.

Kabul, Hamburg, both places deal with similar questions and with the search for Zahir. Proportionately, there are a lot fewer scenes set in Hamburg which presents itself as part of “Afghanistan” outside of Afghanistan. The movie focuses on Kabul with its protagonists there.

The film does not primarily deal with the war and its disastrous consequences whose effects are still felt today. In a story about Afghanistan, all this is ever-present every day. This burden subliminally affects everything and is part of each protagonist’s life story.

“Kabul’s Nightingale” is no regular story with beginning and ending. It is a fragmentary narration, one which dives into the story in one place and emerges again in another. One which is told by memories, desires and hopes.