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 | War

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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)

Also Known As:

September Tapes

Filming Locations:

Afghanistan

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,200,000, 31 December 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

Complex Films, Persistent Entertainment, Raz Entertainment

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References The Blair Witch Project (1999)

User Reviews

Not perfect but overall an excellent film

The interactions, particularly in Kabul are outstanding. This is definitely an area that is new to almost everybody because the major media has ignored it. When the more main stream TV correspondents go out and interview, they have a ton of equipment and plenty of armed guards. This had a much more face to face with reality feel to it. Wherever parts of it were filmed and however it was done, it projected a sense of constant danger which I suspect comes far closer to the reality of the situation than many are ready to admit.

People who like to ask the question of "why haven't we caught Bin Laden?" ought to get a sense of what we are up against after seeing this movie. And have a lot more respect for our small unit special forces who have fought and lived in this environment for years now.

Who is friend? Who is foe? Who knows exactly what is going on? The whole point of the movie is that all this is not laid out as simply as most Hollywood productions. And that point ought to be well taken.

None of the characters were particularly likable (although the cameraman comes close). But I think that was part of the point. This was not Rambo, nor was it Mother Theresa goes to save the world. The environment overshadows the individuals. Get it? Finally as far as the rather far fetched plot (certainly the ending is a stretch -- I hope that's vague enough not to be a spoiler), it's almost incidental to what the rest of the film conveys. It would have been a rather short movie if it were realistic and all three protagonists were killed in the first five minutes of the film.