A Walnut Tree

synopsis

An elderly man living in the Jalozai Camp feels desperately nostalgic and longs to go home. A grandfather, poet and former teacher, he finds himself internally displaced as a result of the ongoing conflict between the Pakistani Army and the Taliban. Life inside the camp is no life at all—it’s a place where people cease to be human beings and become stories instead. This man tells his story over and over again to stay intact and pierce his numbing loss. He “left himself behind” and so is torn between the past, the insecure present and the bleak future. As he struggles to decide whether to leave his family and risk returning to his distant homeland, he must confront the prospect that home may no longer exist in physical space and may now be only a place of make-believe, a mirage in his mind. 

– Angie Driscoll  (Hot Docs)

about the director

Ammar Aziz is a Pakistani documentary filmmaker and poet. He’s a recipient of the International Federation of Film Critics Award. His debut feature-length film A Walnut Tree had its world premiere at IDFA and North American premiere at Hot Docs