Unprecedented and audacious, Hollywoodgate is the riveting result of the year director Ibrahim Nash'at spent with the Taliban in the wake of the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Risking his life in the war-torn nation, Nash'at is on the ground with the Taliban when they enter an American base loaded with a portion of the roughly $7 billion worth of US armaments left behind. Driving towards an astonishing and chilling end, Nash'at tracks Taliban leaders as they attempt to transform from a fundamentalist militia into a modern military regime, employing Hollywood-style propaganda to achieve their goals.

The Garden Cinema View:

Hollywoodgate is a fascinating documentary that has the feel of a recovered black box from a plane crash. Ibrahim Nash'at's extraordinary courage in filming the Taliban as they seize control of Kabul following the abrupt U.S. military withdrawal is almost unfathomable. We witness the Taliban occupying the vast American armoury - from fighter planes to firearms and uniforms, and with a chilling sense of unease, we also observe acts of oppression and violence towards women as new laws prohibit them from working.

Unlike many contemporary documentaries, Hollywoodgate isn’t structured around a traditional narrative arc, nor does it rely on talking-head interviews or spoon-feed information and interpretation. Yet, its raw footage provides an unfiltered glimpse into a pivotal historical moment, showcasing the immediate aftermath of a major geopolitical shift, and allows us to draw our own conclusions.