Paikar
Paikar follows filmmaker Dawood Hilmandi on a personal journey through Afghanistan, during which he explores the complex relationship with his father and family.
Afghan artist-filmmaker Dawood Hilmandi is called paikar – the Persian word for ‘war’ or ‘warrior’ – by his family. His parents use this nickname proudly, but in this family portrait, it seems more of a burden than a blessing. Hilmandi and his seven brothers and sisters live scattered across the world. They are all warriors, driven apart by war. Hilmandi himself has found his home in Amsterdam, where he wanders the busy streets and reflects on ‘home’. But what is home? He first fled Afghanistan, then Iran, and later his devoutly religious father.
After suffering a great loss, Hilmandi returns to Iran to spend time with his aging, authoritarian father and mend their relationship. They watch television, go to the mosque, and reminisce. Together they travel to Afghanistan, where, under the threat of Covid-19, they grow closer. They find resilience in survival and experience new forms of freedom in times of great uncertainty (source: IDFA)