Filmmaker Statement

The only times I ever saw the words “gay” and “afghan” together were in the devastating context of the Pulse massacre where the shooter was thought to be a closeted Afghan man. My primary exposure to Afghans in both media and storytelling has always been in the proximity to violence, either as the oppressor or the oppressed. If they’re not the terrorists, they are the impoverished, helpless refugees. The disposability of Afghan lives has been so dehumanizing to witness, and has crushed me all my life. ODTK started as a cathartic letter to myself, post-coming out, reminding myself that even plants without water can grow. While the film is faithful to my own coming-of-age, my goal is to recall, with emotional precision, these deeply familiar moments of queer awakening that have imprinted my life, and hopefully others; moments of curiosity, wonder, rejection, and pain; moments felt in the heart as much as the body; moments that fuelled countless nights of agony, fear, and deep prayer.