{"id":10982,"date":"2026-08-15T10:00:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T05:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ariananews.co\/en\/news\/five-years-since-taliban-takeover-afghan-cinemas-still-close-film-industry-suffers\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T10:08:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T05:38:21","slug":"five-years-since-taliban-takeover-afghan-cinemas-still-close-film-industry-suffers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ariananews.co\/en\/news\/five-years-since-taliban-takeover-afghan-cinemas-still-close-film-industry-suffers\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Years Since Taliban Takeover: Afghan Cinemas Still Close, Film Industry Suffers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five years after the Taliban’s return to power, cinemas in Afghanistan remain closed, a situation that has severely impacted the film industry and left many citizens dissatisfied.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cinemas in Afghanistan Remain Closed to the Public<\/h2>\n

Despite the passage of five years since the Taliban’s takeover, cinemas in Afghanistan are still shuttered. Musi Radmanesh, a cinema activist, emphasizes that cinema serves as an essential medium for education and entertainment.<\/p>\n

Film Production in Afghanistan Severely Affected Over the Past Five Years<\/h2>\n

Afghan filmmakers are facing significant challenges. Many independent film producers, who used to operate freely, are currently unable to continue their work.<\/p>\n

Ministry of Information and Culture Remains Silent on Cinema Closures<\/h2>\n

Repeated requests for comments from Khabib Ghafran, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture, have gone unanswered. The ministry has provided no explanation regarding the ongoing closure of cinemas.<\/p>\n

Cinema: A Fundamental Need for Society; Voices of Afghan Filmmakers<\/h2>\n

Safiur Ahankhail, head of the Afghan Cinematographers’ Association in exile, stated that people need entertainment, and the closure of cinemas is unacceptable for society. He highlighted that cinema is a global phenomenon.<\/p>\n

The History of Cinema in Afghanistan: From Introduction to Closure<\/h2>\n

Cinema was first introduced to Afghanistan in 1923 and experienced significant growth during various periods, including the reign of Mohammad Zahir Shah. However, today, the industry finds itself in crisis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Afghanistan marks five years under Taliban rule, cinemas remain closed, highlighting a grave impact on the film industry and leaving citizens disheartened. Activists emphasize the importance of cinema for education and entertainment, as filmmakers face insurmountable challenges without any response from the Ministry of Information and Culture. The future of a once-thriving industry hangs in the balance, prompting calls for the reopening of cinemas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10983,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","addvideo":"","video_duration":"","farsit":"","target":"","top_stories":"","top":"","pick":"","vije":"","_mat_hreflang_tags":{"fa-AF":"https:\/\/ariananews.co\/news\/%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%b1%db%8c%d8%ae-%d8%b3%db%8c%d9%86%d9%85%d8%a7-%d8%af%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%81%d8%ba%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%af-%d8%aa%d8%b9%d8%b7%db%8c%d9%84%db%8c.html\/","x-default":"https:\/\/ariananews.co\/news\/%d8%aa%d8%a7%d8%b1%db%8c%d8%ae-%d8%b3%db%8c%d9%86%d9%85%d8%a7-%d8%af%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%81%d8%ba%d8%a7%d9%86%d8%b3%d8%aa%d8%a7%d9%86-%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%af-%d8%aa%d8%b9%d8%b7%db%8c%d9%84%db%8c.html\/","en":"https:\/\/ariananews.co\/en\/news\/five-years-since-taliban-takeover-afghan-cinemas-still-close-film-industry-suffers\/","ps":"https:\/\/ariananews.co\/ps\/news\/five-years-since-taliban-takeover-afghan-cinemas-still-close-film-industry-suffers\/","ar":"https:\/\/ariananews.co\/ar\/news\/five-years-since-taliban-takeover-afghan-cinemas-still-close-film-industry-suffers\/","ur":"https:\/\/ariananews.co\/ur\/afghanistan\/five-years-since-taliban-takeover-afghan-cinemas-still-close-film-industry-suffers\/"}},"categories":[1,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-social"],"acf":{"myctype":"","target":false,"top_stories":false,"top":false,"farsit":""},"yoast_head":"\nFive Years Since Taliban Takeover: Afghan Cinemas Still Close, Film Industry Suffers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As Afghanistan marks five years under Taliban rule, cinemas remain closed, highlighting a grave impact on the film industry and leaving citizens disheartened. 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