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In the Walnut Shell
Production Country (s) Afghanistan Production Company (s) -
Genre Drama Production Spec 4K / Color / 120min
Production Stage
(or Project Status)		 In Development Expected Date of Completion March 2021
Total Budget
(Negative Cost)		 650,000 USD Confirmed Financing -
Fellow Name Diana SAQEB JAMAL
Director Diana SAQEB JAMAL Email of Director dianasaqeb@gmail.com
Profile of the Director Diana Saqeb Jamal was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. She started her filmmaking journey as a documentary filmmaker. Her first documentary Twenty-Five Percent opened a discussion for changing the European military policy into one with a further respect for human rights in Afghanistan. Her documentary film about Afghan women movement, Mohtarama, won several awards including the best documentary film at Yamagata International Film Festival. Her first narrative short film, Roqaia, has been selected at the 76th Venice Film Festival main competition this year. In the Walnut Shell is slated to be her debut feature.
Producer (s) - Email of Producer (s) -
Logline When her only dream of building her own house shatters because of her husband’s gambling mistake, a stubborn Afghan mother of three daughters must fight off vicious gang men to keep her small piece of land.
Synopsis SHIRIN GUL (31), a traditional and stubborn Afghan mother of three daughters, has only one dream: building her own house in a small piece of land, which she inherited from her late mother. However, Shirin Gul’s dream begins to shatter when her husband loses to a gambling gang and disappears.
The vicious gang pressures the village to pay the debt, and the elders force Shirin Gul to give up her land. Shirin Gul refuses and secretly plans to escape to Kabul in the hope of finding her husband. But she gets caught by the villagers. After that, the gamble gang leader gives them three days to repay his debt, or else he will take the land by force. Shirin Gul accepts the deal. But the villagers turn their back to her and lock her up. Tragically, her youngest daughter is accidentally killed by the gangsters in a car crash, which collapses Shirin Gul. A few days later, the gang leader and his men attend the girl’s funeral bringing Shirin Gul a fat sheep to show their regret of victimizing an innocent young girl. However, a grieving Shirin Gul and the gang leader ignite a fierce argument. Humiliated by the leader's insult, Shirin Gul leaves the spot shattered. But she returns soon with her husband’s shotgun and shoots one of the men in the leg. She asks for the leader’s apology for the indignity he put on her and compensation for the damage done to the village. As the gang men leave the village, kids start clapping. Shirin Gul looks back and sees all the villagers stand behind her.