Land mines: a love story

Land mines remain a danger in 82 countries around the world, and between 15,000 and 20,000 people become fresh victims of land mines every year. Afghanistan (one of the countries worst affected) is estimated to still have ten million unexploded landmines in the ground. Veteran Australian documentary filmmaker Dennis O’Rourke travelled to Afghanistan in 2001 to make this film about how land mines have affected the lives of ordinary Afghani people. In the chaos of war-ravaged Kabul, O’Rourke met Habiba, a Tajik woman who lost one of her legs to a land mine in 1992 at age 11. Habiba is married to Shah, a former Mujaheddin fighter, also disabled as a result of his war injuries. The result is a film that, while showing the destruction and suffering caused by war, also celebrates life, love and hope for the future. (Awards: Winner of the 2005 AFI Award for Best Documentary).