Ibrahim Nash’at • Director of Hollywoodgate
“The most critical obstacle we faced during the production was the decision not to film with civilians”
- The Berlin-based Egyptian director discusses his approach to balancing his personal vision as a filmmaker with the responsibility of representing the complexities of a highly sensitive situation

Berlin-based Egyptian director Ibrahim Nash’at premiered his documentary Hollywoodgate [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ibrahim Nash’at
film profile] out of competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2023. The German-US co-production has now been shortlisted for the Oscars, in the Documentary Feature category (see the news). We spoke to Nash’at about the film, which, over the course of one year, exposes the transformation of a fundamentalist militia into a military regime.
Cineuropa: Hollywoodgate delves into a highly sensitive and politically charged subject. How did you approach balancing your personal vision as a filmmaker with the responsibility of representing the complexities of the situation accurately and respectfully?
Ibrahim Nash’at: The fundamental agreement I made with both myself and the Taliban was simple: to document what I saw, as I saw it. While I believe it’s our responsibility as filmmakers to represent situations accurately and respectfully, I don’t think we can – or should – pretend we’re free of perspective. Every frame we shoot and every edit we make emerge from how we move through and understand the world. My intention was never to make this documentary a film of answers. My hope was that it could shed light on the belligerence of a regime and the dangerous consequences of a failed forever war.
Documenting such a controversial topic likely involved significant logistical and ethical challenges. Can you share some of the most critical obstacles you faced during production and how you overcame them?
The most critical obstacle we faced during the production was the decision not to film with civilians. It was a conscious choice we made for the safety of all people, especially women. We realised that if we filmed with any civilian and placed them alongside the Taliban in the same film, we would be putting their lives in danger. We really wanted to film with women, but we were so afraid that their appearance in the film could put them at risk. We even had some scenes that were shot with women, but we decided not to include them in the film for their safety and security.
What impact do you hope Hollywoodgate will have on its audience? Are there any specific reactions or conversations you aim to spark through this film?
I hope the film shows the failure of the 20-year war in Afghanistan. I hope it highlights the repressive, power-hungry nature of the Taliban regime and the other leaders who would force their nations into war for their own objectives of maintaining power, regardless of their nationality, religion or ethnic group. I want it to reveal that propaganda has always been a tool of war and is one that the Taliban are trying to wield now as well. Above all, I hope the film conveys the brutality of war and the generational pain it causes. In the end, only warlords benefit from war. War begets war.
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.