The Afghan community is appalled and offended at the insensitivity of Universal Studios, Tom Hardy and Channing Tatum in their announcement of the George Nolfi-Scripted Afghanistan Evacuation Pic.  We demand an immediate cease of this production as the Afghan people are still suffering from the negligent U.S. withdrawal. We ask that you view your decision from the perspective of the Afghan community, and communities like theirs who have been persecuted and taken advantage of by the entertainment industry for far too long.

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The people of Afghanistan have faced decades of war due to years of foreign intervention at the hands of the U.S. and their international allies. But for decades, the struggles of the Afghan people have been washed away with little to no attention in the media although it remains one of the most dire humanitarian crises of all time.  

Afghans around the world remain devastated over the situation back home. The US government’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan has left the country in even greater shambles than before.  Since August 2021, advocates and allies of the Afghan community have attempted to raise awareness about the crisis in Afghanistan through mobilization efforts, protests and calls to action. We have called on our political leaders and the international community, but continue to be met with silence, complacency, and false promises. 

We also turned to Hollywood - to actors, celebrities and artists, many of whom dismissed our calls for help and stayed silent on the ongoing humanitarian crisis that is only worsening each day. With the exception of a handful of celebrities, this industry has turned a blind eye to the tragedies that continue to ensue in Afghanistan. The country now faces one of the most pressing international catastrophes of all time.

To now see that our country is finally being spoken about in Hollywood for reasons that are completely irrelevant to our people’s struggles is absolutely demoralizing. 

Last month, a number of media outlets announced that Channing Tatum and Tom Hardy have been cast in an untitled drama about 3 former special forces team members who go back to Afghanistan to rescue families and allies left behind amid the rapid fall of Afghanistan.  (Source: Deadline). 

Afghanistan and the Afghan people have been utilized in Western media to further narratives of a white saviour industrial complex that neglects and exploits the struggles of those who have been left behind. Producers, directors and celebrities have equally capitalized off of the illegal war in Afghanistan. Several movies have utilized the U.S. led war as their main plot line, often exploiting the stories and suffering of Afghan people and shedding a negative light on the nation and its culture in an attempt to validate the fear mongering tactics and rhetoric of the American government.  

Hollywood has made over one billion dollars by profiting off of the tragedies of the Afghan people for their own benefit. 

At a time where one of the most vulnerable nations faces economic collapse, starvation, and displacement, the entertainment industry has once again decided to exploit our suffering for their own benefit. Afghanistan is facing a complete breakdown of public health, security and infrastructure. Our nation has been stuck in a permanent and perpetual state of war due to their position as an unwilling testing ground for warfare technology at the hands of the U.S.. The ongoing and illegal conflict has not only contributed to over 72,000 civilian casualties and 242,000 deaths, but also the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Afghan lives. Ethnic cleansing of already persecuted minorities like Hazara and Sikh Afghans at the hands of the Taliban, a complete deterioration of rights for women and girls and the nation’s silent battle with COVID-19 only add to the long list of the people’s suffering.

Since the American occupation of Afghanistan, substance abuse has skyrocketed by 300% and mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and PTSD ravage across generations. There is virtually no sustainable mental health treatment for those suffering. By 2021, there has been a total of at least 13,074 airstrikes conducted by the US government, killing at least 4,138 people in Afghanistan alone; not counting the use of drone warfare in the tribal regions of Pakistan. Over 2.2. million refugees have fled their motherland, where even in diaspora, intergenerational trauma rips through our community.  Currently, thousands of Afghans who dedicated their lives for the past twenty years to collaborating with the U.S. and allies are stuck in Afghanistan, in fear of retaliation from the Taliban. The U.S. federal government is charging these individuals a whopping $575 just to file for humanitarian parole applications. Whether these applications are being reviewed is another concern of the Afghan American community. 

What we are seeing today does not set the grounds for a “drama” filled motion picture or excuse to tell a story of American heroism. It is the disgraceful reality of America’s irresponsible contravention of human rights and disregard for international humanitarian law. While we recognize the sacrifices that American and Canadian troops have made for our country throughout this war on terror, we are exhausted from being the token nation for every American war based movie in need of a plot. 

Our stories and experiences are distorted, abused and ultimately capitalized off of by an industry that sheds no light on our pain or hardships. Our people remain forgotten, and continue to be murdered at the hands of U.S. led imperialism and its consequences, with no international intervention or state protection due to instability and corruption.

Demands for support and solidarity from the international community cannot be limited to governments and state actors. The entertainment industry’s ignorance and quite frankly, abuse of the Afghan people and their suffering is dehumanizing. The creation of this film will solidify how insensitive the entertainment industry has been to the Afghan people, especially now in their most dire time of need. The decision to move forward in the making of this film is both disrespectful and disheartening, and will only result in ill-gotten gain.

Our shared realities are not a “drama” or fiction. They are our lived experiences of and the experiences of every generation before us. We are tired of others telling our story for us.