Siddiq Barmak was born in Panjshir, Afghanistan, in 1962. He earned a
master’s degree in Cinema from the VGIK Cinema Institute in Moscow
in 1987.
Siddiq Barmak’s debut feature film, Osama (2003), received
widespread acclaim and numerous prestigious awards, including
recognition at festivals such as Cannes, Busan, and London. It was also
named Best Foreign-Language Film at the Golden Globe Awards in
- His second feature, Opium War (2008), won Best Film awards at
the Rome, Batumi, and Pristina film festivals, among others.
In addition to filmmaking, Siddiq Barmak has contributed to the
development of Afghan cinema by publishing the first film magazine in
Afghanistan, Cinema, and by teaching film direction and scriptwriting
at Kabul University. Currently based in France, he is working on his next
major project, The Postman.
Filmography
Short Films :
- The Wall (1984)
- The Circle (1985)
- Stranger (1987)
Feature Films : - Osama (2003) – 84 minutes
- Opium War (2008) – 91 minutes
Documentary Films : - The Disaster of Withering (1988)
- Narration of Victory (1991)
- Invasion File (1997)
As a Producer and Executive Producer: - Sacrifice (short film, 2002)
- Osama (feature film, 2003)
- Earth and Ashes (feature film, France/Afghanistan, 2004)
- Joy of Passion (short film, 2008)
- Opium War (feature film, 2008)
- Delight (short film, 2009)
- An Apple from Paradise (feature film, 2009)
- The Neighbor (feature film, 2010)
- Darwish (TV series, 2011–2012)
- Our Alley (TV series, 2013–2014)
- Bauryna Salu (Feature Film, Kazakhistan, 2024)
Awards
For Osama : - Cannes Film Festival 2003: AFCAE Award, Cannes Junior Award,
Golden Camera (Special Mention) - Golden Globes 2004: Best Foreign-Language Film
- Golden Trailer Awards 2004: Best Foreign Film
- London Film Festival 2003: Sutherland Trophy
- Cape Town World Cinema Festival: Best Feature Film, Best
Director - Montreal New Movie and New Media Festival: First Prize
- Pusan International Film Festival 2003: New Currents Award
(Special Mention) and Audience Award - Cine Manila International Film Festival 2004: Best Actress Award
- Valladolid International Film Festival 2003: Golden Spike
- Kerala International Film Festival 2003: Audience Award
- Miami International Film Festival 2004: Special Jury Prize
- Cinemaya International Film Festival (India) 2003: Best Actress
Award
For Opium War: - Rome International Film Festival 2008: Golden Marc Aurelio
Award for Best Film - Batumi International Film Festival 2009: Grand Prix for Best Film
- Pristina International Film Festival 2009: Golden Goddess for Best
Director - Cologne Film House 2009: Audience Award for Best Film
- Kish International Film Festival 2011: Best Actor Award
Honors and Medals - Medal of Order of Arts and Letters by the Ministry of Culture of
France (2004) - Federico Fellini Silver Medal by UNESCO (2003)
- Medal of Maestro Behzad for Best Film Director (Afghanistan,
2003) - Asian Film Culture Award at the 10th Asian Film Festival Mumbai,
(India, 2011)
Memberships - Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
(Oscars) since 2017 - Member of NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema)
since 2012 - Member of the Union of Tajikistan’s Filmmakers since 2011
- Founder and Member of the Union of Filmmakers of Afghanistan
since 2004 - Member of the Cinematic Association of the Union of Artists of
Afghanistan since 1980.
Jury Memberships
Barmak has served on the juries of numerous prestigious film festivals
worldwide, including: - Tribeca International Film Festival (2004)
- Didar International Film Festival (Tajikistan) 2004.
- Locarno International Film Festival 2005.
- Almaty International Film Festival (Kazakhstan) 2005
- Batumi International Film Festival (Georgia) 2010
- Abu Dhabi International Film Festival (UAE) 2010
- Dohuk International Film festival (Kurdistan) 2012
- 5th Didor International Film festival (Tajikistan) 2012
- 9th Kinoproba film festival, Yekaterinburg (Russia) 2012
- Vesoul International Film Festival (France) 2013
- Mumbai International film festival (India) 2013
- Hyderabad children international film Festival (India) 2013
- Bosphorus International film festival (Turkey) 2015
- Prague Iranien Film Festival (Prague Chez) 2016
- Kazan International Film Festival (Russia) 2016
- Batumi International Film Festival (Georgia) 2017
- Five Flavors Asian Film Festival (Warsaw, Poland) 2017
- Singapore South Asian film festival, 2018
- Shaken Aiman Film Festival (Almaty, (Kazakhstan) 2018
- VGIK international student film festival, (Moscow, Russia) 2019
- Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, (Estonia) 2019
- Dohuk International Film festival (Kurdistan) 2021
- Kolkata International Film Festival, (India) 2022
- Tashkent International Film Festival (Uzbekistan) 2023
- Baku International Film Festival (Azerbaijan) 2024
- Mehr o Mah Iranian short film Festival (UAE, Dubai) 2024
- Cinema Heritage International Film Festival (Paris, France) 2024