"I, me, I will go there!" Ariane Mnouchkine, the directress of the Paris based “Théâtre du Soleil”, dismisses the danger and accepts an invitation by the “Foundation for Culture and Civil Society” to travel to Kabul. With 50 Afghan actors of different cultural backgrounds, she holds a workshop using masks from a variety of theatre cultures. Taking as a slogan “There is no art without a mission!”, Mnouchkine develops playful and improvised street scenes, which use Commedia dell´ Arte methods to crystallize a humorous critique and description of the political and cultural situation in war torn Afghanistan.
The film describes the birth of the new independent “Theatre Aftab” (translated: “Theatre of the Sun”) with the help of “Théâtre du Soleil” and vividly chronicles the abundant passion and fun Mnouchkine triggers in the actors through her intercultural approach and courageous engagement.
The Opening film of DOKU.ARTS 2007 continues the series "Hope Theater" by the department of Performing Arts at the Academy of Arts.