Septem8er Tapes (2004)

One year after 9/11, an American journalist travels to Afghanistan in an effort to learn the truth about the search for Osama bin Laden.

Director:

Christian Johnston

Writers:

Christian Johnston, Christian Van Gregg

Stars:

George Calil, Wali Razaqi, Sunil Sadarangani

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Calil	...	Don 'Lars' Larson
Wali Razaqi	...	Wali Zarif
Sunil Sadarangani	...	Sunil 'Sonny'
Baba Jon	...	Rahman
General Dil Agha	...	Northern Alliance Commander
Dawood Zarif	...	Guard / Gun Dealer 1
Zahir Zarif	...	Gun Dealer 2
Haroon Hadir	...	First Interview
Sher Alai	...	Second Interview
Sher Agah	...	Chief of Police
Shaw Mahmood	...	Guide at Airport
Nangilai	...	Man at Soccer Game
Ajmal Nasir	...	Hotel Manager
Zia Khadiri	...	Money-Store Owner
Sharif Omar	...	Man at Card Game

Storyline

Accompanied by an Interpreter, Wali Zarif, and a cameraman, Sunil, Don Larson, heads out to Afghanistan in order to locate Osama Bin Laden, the man George W. Bush believes was responsible for the terrorists attacks in the U.S.A. on September 11, 2001. Little does Don realize that soon he will face opposition from Wali himself and must face facts that the terrorists attacks were as a result of his country's 'foreign policy'; he will be arrested and held by the local Police; beaten by Al-Qaeda sympathizers who tell him that they and many others will not rest until Americans are forced to leave every Muslim country; and join hands with a bounty hunter, Babak Ali, to travel to the region bordering Pakistan, even after being fully aware that there is an open bounty on every westerner in the region.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Persian

Release Date:

12 November 2004 (Italy)

Filming Locations:

Afghanistan

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Complex Films, Persistent Entertainment, Raz Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References The Blair Witch Project (1999)

User Reviews

Fine Indie Effort

I was prepared to give this film a vote of 8 until I read all of the negative reviews. I gave it a 10 instead.

Anyone who would give *any* film that makes it to general release on DVD a vote of 1 is making a political statement rather than an artistic evaluation. On its technical merits alone the film is far better than most of the studio films that came out in 2004. But it gets extra credit in my estimation for its low-budget ingeniousness and its courage. The film is fiction, not documentary, but the film makers really did go to Afghanistan at a time when it was extremely dangerous to do so.

Yes, echos from Blair Witch abound. So what? The differences far outweigh the similarities. I admired Blair Witch but, frankly, September Tapes is a better (and much more interesting) film.

I wouldn't have bothered to make a comment were there not so many negative reviews. I felt obliged to jump to the film's defense.