Synopsis
The Theft is a feature-length documentary that delves into the tangled relationship between museums and conflict, revealing how the preservation of culture can often come at the cost of justice.
Set against he backdrop of Afghanistan - a country whose rich cultural history has been repeatedly scarred by war and political upheaval - the film traces the journey of the Ghazni Marbles, 12th century relics from the palace of Sultan Masu’d III, looted during decades of unrest and now housed in Western institutions.
Their story becomes a lens through which the film asks pressing questions: Why do artifacts matter? What is lost when objects are removed from the cultures that gave them meaning?
Team
Aisha Jamal
Director
Ed Barreveld
Producer
Aisha Jamal is a Toronto-based Afghan-Canadian filmmaker. Her feature documentary debut, "A Kandahar Away" (2019), follows her family's journey from Afghanistan to Canada and their symbolic connection to a small Saskatchewan hamlet named Kandahar. The film premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and played on CBC and the Documentary Channel. Jamal's short films include the award-winning "The Long Way Home" (2017) and "Seeds of the Past" (2016). She also co-directed, co-produced, and co-wrote the documentary web series "How We Die," which reimagines cultural approaches to death and dying. "The Theft" is her second feature documentary.
Storyline Entertainment CEO and Emmy Award-winning producer Ed Barreveld is one of Canada’s top independent documentary-film professionals. A hands-on producer with 35 years of experience in both financing and the field, Barreveld brings together Canadian and international storytellers, investors, and partners on documentaries that explore underexposed places and perspectives in society and culture.
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and Kitab Productions