Overview

Kabul, Year Zero captures the perspectives of children living in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine on the war brought by adults, and how they react to the major changes in their lives and surroundings. The story unfolds in layers, with the primary layer focusing on the universe of an Afghan boy, Afshin, and his family - in particular, his two younger brothers and youngest sister. They were born and raised in the shadow of the Chil Dokhtaran mountains in Kabul, before being evacuated to the Netherlands in September 2021 when the Taliban seized control of the country. This layer of the story intertwines with the mirrored stories of other kids - such as the pigeon keeper Fahad in Mosul, Iraq, Vadja in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and the shoe shiner Shukria in Kabul. These kids also document their lives with handy-cams, and take us on trips into their ruined cities on bicycles and to their playgrounds, such as destroyed cars.