After Afghan&nbsp;filmmaker Sahraa Karimi's video went viral on social media, another director Hassan Fazili has and expressed concerns not just over the safety of his fellow Afghans back home, but also the overall state of art and culture under the impending Taliban regime.

"Even if we just pray or hope that the common Afghanis won’t have to face any execution or arrest, there’s simply no denying that the culture, cultural aesthetics or movement will stop. Filmmaking or performing art seems to be on the verge of destruction now,"&nbsp;Fazili told Indian newspaper The Times of India.

"Why am I fearing this? The reason is quite simple. We are well aware of the Taliban policies. They just want to destroy these cultural activities. It has been a taboo for them. For instance, the Taliban fails to accept that women too, can go outside and take part in social activities on their own." 
 
Fazili, whose films 'Mr Fazili’s Wife' and 'Life Again!' have won awards in the international film-festival circuit, fled Afghanistan after the Taliban had allegedly put out a hit on him several years ago. The trigger for Taliban's wrath was his documentary, 'Peace In Afghanistan'.&nbsp;

<h2>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/afghani-pop-star-aryana-flees-from-country-amid-fear-of-life-under-taliban-rule-406914" hreflang="en">Afghan&nbsp;pop star Aryana flees from country amid fear of life under Taliban rule</a></h2>

“Ironically, it’s the government officials who brought in some ridiculous restrictions that forced me to shut down a cafe for performing artists that I had started. So, you can understand, while things right now get worse, Afghanistan didn’t have the luxury of cultural freedom in the recent past," said&nbsp;Fazili, who currently lives in Germany.

"It’s only one example of how the artists in the country were getting bulldozed, while these two giant forces were fighting for power. Confronting both the Taliban and the Afghan government at the same time became a nightmare for us,” the filmmaker said.&nbsp; 
 
What he fears most is the living conditions of Afghans when the world will no longer be watching.

<h2>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/the-art-and-cinema-we-risk-of-losing-in-talibans-takeover-of-afghanistan-406118" hreflang="en">The art and cinema we risk of losing in Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan</a></h2>

“The moment we stop talking about Afghanistan, it will be more important to see what the Taliban actually do,” he said.

“Believe me they won’t do it initially in Kabul, rather it will start in places like Kandahar and the rural areas, and slowly — as they have done before — will move towards Kabul. So, the world needs to keep a tab on the Taliban for the greater good.”

Fazili also expressed his concerns over the members of small yet significant film community of Afghanistan and what would become of those who are now in hiding.&nbsp;

After Afghan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi's video went viral on social media, another director Hassan Fazili has and expressed concerns not just over the safety of his fellow Afghans back home, but also the overall state of art and culture under the impending Taliban regime.

After Afghan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi's video went viral on social media, another director Hassan Fazili has and expressed concerns not just over the safety of his fellow Afghans back home, but also the overall state of art and culture under the impending Taliban regime. "Even if we just pray or hope that the common Afghanis won’t have to face any execution or arrest, there’s simply no denying that the culture, cultural aesthetics or movement will stop. Filmmaking or performing art seems to be on the verge of destruction now," Fazili told Indian newspaper The Times of India. "Why am I fearing this? The reason is quite simple. We are well aware of the Taliban policies. They just want to destroy these cultural activities. It has been a taboo for them. For instance, the Taliban fails to accept that women too, can go outside and take part in social activities on their own." Fazili, whose films 'Mr Fazili’s Wife' and 'Life Again!' have won awards in the international film-festival circuit, fled Afghanistan after the Taliban had allegedly put out a hit on him several years ago. The trigger for Taliban's wrath was his documentary, 'Peace In Afghanistan'. Also read: Afghan pop star Aryana flees from country amid fear of life under Taliban rule “Ironically, it’s the government officials who brought in some ridiculous restrictions that forced me to shut down a cafe for performing artists that I had started. So, you can understand, while things right now get worse, Afghanistan didn’t have the luxury of cultural freedom in the recent past," said Fazili, who currently lives in Germany. "It’s only one example of how the artists in the country were getting bulldozed, while these two giant forces were fighting for power. Confronting both the Taliban and the Afghan government at the same time became a nightmare for us,” the filmmaker said. What he fears most is the living conditions of Afghans when the world will no longer be watching. Also read: The art and cinema we risk of losing in Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan “The moment we stop talking about Afghanistan, it will be more important to see what the Taliban actually do,” he said. “Believe me they won’t do it initially in Kabul, rather it will start in places like Kandahar and the rural areas, and slowly — as they have done before — will move towards Kabul. So, the world needs to keep a tab on the Taliban for the greater good.” Fazili also expressed his concerns over the members of small yet significant film community of Afghanistan and what would become of those who are now in hiding.

Afghan director Hassan Fazili on Taliban: Filmmaking is on the verge of destruction now

For days Hamida Barmaki`s smiling face stared out over traffic in Kabul, painted in a towering mural near the home of the warlord blamed for her death before it was mysteriously covered over in white.

The short-lived image on a concrete blast wall marked the beginning of a provocative campaign by social activist group ArtLords, whose artists are calling out Afghanistan`s most powerful by depicting people killed by warlords in giant murals in public places.

They have been threatened on social media, branded infidels, and told by gunmen and mullahs to stop painting, but are unrepentant.&nbsp;

&quot;This was a warning shot to everyone that we will not let you sleep at night, we will come after you, we will paint in front of your homes,&quot; ArtLords co-founder and president Omaid Sharifi told at his studio in the Afghan capital.

Rather than seek justice for the countless victims - something that is not realistic given the huge number of them and the country`s weak judicial system - the group hopes to pressure warlords to acknowledge their past actions and apologise, Sharifi, 31, said.

Barmaki`s portrait was near the home of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, one of the most notorious warlords in Afghanistan`s history.

His group carried out the 2011 suicide attack on a Kabul supermarket that killed Barmaki - a prominent law professor and human rights activist - as well as her husband and their four children.

Hekmatyar, whose spokesman declined to comment on the mural, is one of several infamous warlords that Kabul has sought to reintegrate into the mainstream political system in the post-Taliban era.

A two-time prime minister, he is accused of killing thousands of people during Afghanistan`s bloody 1992-1996 civil war.

Other such figures include General Abdul Rashid Dostum, a powerful ethnic Uzbek linked to multiple human rights abuses in Afghanistan who is now the country`s first vice president, and Atta Mohammad Noor, the former governor of Balkh province who is seen as a potential presidential contender but has been accused of having links to people involved in kidnapping and other crimes.&nbsp;

The murals - which are typically several metres high and wide - will put faces to the victims, Sharifi says, and send a message to warlords that &quot;we have not forgotten... what they did in this country&quot;.

Over the past four years, ArtLords has turned Kabul`s grey maze of concrete barricades - shaped like a wide-based inverted `T` to provide protection from bomb blasts - into a canvas to tackle issues such as rampant corruption and abuse of power.

With permission from local authorities, businesses and institutions, the group`s artists have painted more than 400 murals on blast walls and other prominent places in around half of Afghanistan`s 34 provinces.

Sharifi said the latest campaign would also target violent extremism of the Taliban and other militant groups now terrorising the country.

&quot;There will be murals that say `you`re not going to heaven`,&quot; Sharifi said.

It is risky work for the group`s 45 artists, who are paid for their efforts. 
&nbsp; 
Sharifi said he rarely goes out and is careful to use different routes when he does.

&quot;The threat is very real. At any moment anything can happen, a bomb can go off,&quot; Sharifi said.

&quot;Despite all these challenges... we have to take responsibility. Somebody has to do it.&quot; The mural of Barmaki has changed the &quot;narrative of street art in Afghanistan&quot; and people were now recognising art as a &quot;powerful tool&quot; for social change, he said.

It has also galvanised other socially conscious artists around the country to use street art to send &quot;very harsh messages to these people&quot;.

While ArtLords receives widespread support from Afghans and the international community for its work, the reaction on social media to the Barmaki mural has been mixed.

Some have applauded the group`s &quot;courage and guts&quot; while others have accused them of bias and exacerbating discord in the country.&nbsp;

&quot;Use your art to promote unity and serve Afghanistan, do not use it to spread division,&quot; Facebook user Yaser Baburi wrote.

Sharifi admits the new campaign will upset people &quot;because we will remind them of all these crimes&quot;.

&quot;But I think this is the way to continue this discussion and force these people to come out and apologise for what they`ve done.&quot;

With the help of the public, ArtLords is compiling a list of warlords and people allegedly killed by them, who will be the faces of the next murals.

&quot;We will have faces of these victims in front of their (warlords&#39;) houses or the streets they are passing by,&quot; Sharifi said, without disclosing who will be targeted.

&quot;There are a lot of names that come to mind.&quot;

They have been threatened on social media, branded infidels, and told by gunmen and mullahs to stop painting, but are unrepentant

For days Hamida Barmaki`s smiling face stared out over traffic in Kabul, painted in a towering mural near the home of the warlord blamed for her death before it was mysteriously covered over in white. The short-lived image on a concrete blast wall marked the beginning of a provocative campaign by social activist group ArtLords, whose artists are calling out Afghanistan`s most powerful by depicting people killed by warlords in giant murals in public places. They have been threatened on social media, branded infidels, and told by gunmen and mullahs to stop painting, but are unrepentant. "This was a warning shot to everyone that we will not let you sleep at night, we will come after you, we will paint in front of your homes," ArtLords co-founder and president Omaid Sharifi told at his studio in the Afghan capital. Rather than seek justice for the countless victims - something that is not realistic given the huge number of them and the country`s weak judicial system - the group hopes to pressure warlords to acknowledge their past actions and apologise, Sharifi, 31, said. Barmaki`s portrait was near the home of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, one of the most notorious warlords in Afghanistan`s history. His group carried out the 2011 suicide attack on a Kabul supermarket that killed Barmaki - a prominent law professor and human rights activist - as well as her husband and their four children. Hekmatyar, whose spokesman declined to comment on the mural, is one of several infamous warlords that Kabul has sought to reintegrate into the mainstream political system in the post-Taliban era. A two-time prime minister, he is accused of killing thousands of people during Afghanistan`s bloody 1992-1996 civil war. Other such figures include General Abdul Rashid Dostum, a powerful ethnic Uzbek linked to multiple human rights abuses in Afghanistan who is now the country`s first vice president, and Atta Mohammad Noor, the former governor of Balkh province who is seen as a potential presidential contender but has been accused of having links to people involved in kidnapping and other crimes. The murals - which are typically several metres high and wide - will put faces to the victims, Sharifi says, and send a message to warlords that "we have not forgotten... what they did in this country". Over the past four years, ArtLords has turned Kabul`s grey maze of concrete barricades - shaped like a wide-based inverted `T` to provide protection from bomb blasts - into a canvas to tackle issues such as rampant corruption and abuse of power. With permission from local authorities, businesses and institutions, the group`s artists have painted more than 400 murals on blast walls and other prominent places in around half of Afghanistan`s 34 provinces. Sharifi said the latest campaign would also target violent extremism of the Taliban and other militant groups now terrorising the country. "There will be murals that say `you`re not going to heaven`," Sharifi said. It is risky work for the group`s 45 artists, who are paid for their efforts. Sharifi said he rarely goes out and is careful to use different routes when he does. "The threat is very real. At any moment anything can happen, a bomb can go off," Sharifi said. "Despite all these challenges... we have to take responsibility. Somebody has to do it." The mural of Barmaki has changed the "narrative of street art in Afghanistan" and people were now recognising art as a "powerful tool" for social change, he said. It has also galvanised other socially conscious artists around the country to use street art to send "very harsh messages to these people". While ArtLords receives widespread support from Afghans and the international community for its work, the reaction on social media to the Barmaki mural has been mixed. Some have applauded the group`s "courage and guts" while others have accused them of bias and exacerbating discord in the country. "Use your art to promote unity and serve Afghanistan, do not use it to spread division," Facebook user Yaser Baburi wrote. Sharifi admits the new campaign will upset people "because we will remind them of all these crimes". "But I think this is the way to continue this discussion and force these people to come out and apologise for what they`ve done." With the help of the public, ArtLords is compiling a list of warlords and people allegedly killed by them, who will be the faces of the next murals. "We will have faces of these victims in front of their (warlords') houses or the streets they are passing by," Sharifi said, without disclosing who will be targeted. "There are a lot of names that come to mind."

Afghan street artists haunt warlords with graffiti campaign

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Afghan director Hassan Fazili on Taliban: Filmmaking is on the verge of destruction now

Afghan street artists haunt warlords with graffiti campaign