Nantes 2004

FESTIVAL DES 3 CONTINENTS NANTES 2004 Festival des 3 Continents (November 2004) in the Atlantic city of Nantes, France is the best place to be in late autumn for film lovers who seek to discover little-known territories and the program this year was no exception. Images of Afghanistan have been on our TV screens for some time thanks to Mr Bush, but who has ever seen an authentic Afghan film that pre-dates post-invasion co-productions? Latif Ahmadi's Hamesh Ishq (The Epic of Love, 1986), a Romeo and Juliet story involving two rival buskashi teams and Akhter Maskaneh (Akhter, the Joker, 1981) about a poor alcoholic clown whose humiliation by his rich ‘friends' leads him to crime were delightful to watch. Toryalai Shafaq's Mujasema ha Mekhandan (The Statues are Laughing, 1976), an existential tale about the predicaments of an artist was a revelation. Ishq Wa Dost (Love and Friendship, 1946) could easily..