THE PRINCE OF NOTHINGWOOD (Nothingwood)

Saturday, April 28 – 10:15 pm – Truffaut Theatre

Directed by: Sonia Kronlund
Written by: Sonia Kronlund
Film Editing: Sophie Brunet, George Cragg
Produced by: Laurent Lavolé, Mélanie Andernach (Gloria Films Productions)
Camera: Alexander Nanau, Eric Guichard
International Sales: Pyramide International

“Hollywood, Bollywood, Nothingwood!” proclaims Salim Shaheen. He has been called the “Afghan Ed Wood” and is certainly the war-torn country’s most popular and prolific actor/director/producer. Launching production on his 111th B-movie masterpiece, the exuberant filmmaker travels to a remote village to shoot with his usual ragtag crew of friends, actors, war veterans and his perennial cross-dressing “leading lady.” Armed with a small video camera, a few Kalashnikovs and a box of live ammo, it’s “lights, camera, action!” First-time helmer Sonia Kronlund’s at-times hilarious portrait of this local hero elicits both admiration and affection for Shaheen’s braggadocio, sincere dedication to his oeuvre and guileless belief in the transcendent power of moving pictures.

Sonia Kronlund | Ace broadcast journalist Sonia Kronlund briefly wrote for Les Cahiers du Cinéma, then co-wrote the screenplay for Thomas Gilou’s Rai (1995), which won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival. She began her broadcasting career at public radio station France Inter in 1995. She has hosted and produced the daily radio program, Les Pieds sur Terre, on France-Culture, since 2002. Honoring the show’s 10th anniversary, Nouvelle du réel, a compilation of her radio interviews, was published in book form by Actes Sud, in 2012. Kronlund ventured into directing with La télévision des Iraniens (2005), an episode on the documentary TV series Toutes les télés du monde. The Prince of Nothingwood is her feature directorial debut.

COLCOA Documentaries, After 10

In association with: Pyramide International WIF