Updated documentary follows Afghan man from childhood hardship to television career before political upheaval forces him back into manual labour

LONDON: An updated documentary tracing 25 years in the life of Afghan citizen Mir Hussain has returned to television, offering an intimate account of how war, poverty and political upheaval transformed one family’s fortunes.

Filmmakers Phil Grabsky and Shoaib Sharifi began recording Mir in Afghanistan’s mountainous Bamiyan province in 2002. Their footage previously formed the Bafta-winning My Childhood, My Country – 20 Years in Afghanistan, released in 2021.

The new version, 25 Years in Afghanistan, revisits that material while adding footage showing how Mir and his family have lived since the Taliban returned to power.

From Childhood Poverty to Life Behind the Camera

As a child, Mir frequently missed school to work in fields, manage his family’s donkeys and labour in a coalmine. Despite severe poverty, he maintained an optimistic outlook while his family watched international forces arrive with promises of reconstruction and progress.

Eventually, Mir married Shukria and moved first to Mazar-i-Sharif and later Kabul while searching for employment.

However, his unusual childhood experience of being filmed eventually created an opportunity. After asking the documentary makers for assistance, Mir became a camera operator.

He subsequently filmed sporting events and covered the aftermath of suicide bombings, transforming himself from a documentary subject into a professional observer of Afghanistan’s turbulent history.

Taliban Return Changes Family’s Future

However, the Western military withdrawal and Taliban takeover in 2021 dramatically changed Mir’s circumstances.

By 2026, television work had largely disappeared, forcing him back into manual labour. Meanwhile, the updated documentary gives Shukria greater space to describe the restrictions and uncertainty surrounding their family.

The couple now have four children, including another daughter whose future particularly concerns Shukria.

Consequently, the documentary’s latest chapter carries a darker tone, contrasting Mir’s longstanding optimism with growing uncertainty about Afghanistan’s direction.

25 Years in Afghanistan aired on ITV1 and remains available through ITVX.