Barmak got his degree in cinema from the oldest film school in the world, the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in Moscow. He has written several film scripts and directed a number of short films in Afghanistan, but all his works were banned during the time of the Taliban. His “Opium War” is a collaborative production involving Afghanistan, Japan, South Korea and France.

“The Other Bank” by George Ovashvili

In its sixth year, the “Golden Apricot” festival has continued to focus on works from up-and-coming arthouse directors from around the world. Apart from “Opium War”, some of the highlights this year are “The Other Bank”, a drama from Georgian director George Ovashvili; “Bonded Parallels” from Armenian filmmaker Hovhannes Galstyan; as well as the Iranian drama “Be Calm and Count to Seven”.

The festival, which runs until July 19, features more than a hundred feature films and documentaries from America, Russia, Asia and Europe.

The festival’s creative team, headed by their artistic director, acclaimed Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, says they welcome films representing “diverse ethnic groups, religions, and nations that depict the human experience, the daily lives of people, ordinary and extraordinary, their troubles and their joys, as they try to find meaning in a changing world; as they struggle to redefine themselves in a world that recognizes fewer and fewer boundaries.”