Latest news with #Retrograde
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Nat Geo documentary caused my husband's murder, widow says in lawsuit
The widow of an Afghan man – whose lawyer says was tortured and killed by the Taliban after his identity was revealed in an Emmy-winning National Geographic documentary – has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the filmmakers in Los Angeles. Omar Khan — whose good looks earned him the nickname 'Justin Bieber' — was among a group of Afghan mine-clearers who appeared in the film, 'Retrograde.' The documentary, which chronicled the final chaotic months of America's 20-year war in Afghanistan, debuted on National Geographic channel and Hulu in December 2022. Soon after, a TikTok video circulated in Afghanistan showing scenes from the film and then Khan was seized by the Taliban and tortured for over two weeks, according to the widow's lawyer, John Uustal, and two former Green Berets who remain in touch with other Afghans who were close to Khan. He died of his injuries in April 2023 at the age of 25. His ordeal was detailed at a congressional hearing on the threat of Taliban reprisals in 2024, as well as in a Washington Post story that was published months later. The lawsuit names as defendants several companies behind the film, including Disney, National Geographic and Hulu. The film showed close-up images of Khan and other mine-clearers even though its director and producer had been warned that doing so would jeopardize their lives, according to the lawsuit and the two former Green Berets who spoke to NBC News. 'Military personnel warned defendants about safety concerns regarding the identities of individuals who had assisted U.S. operations appearing in the film,' says the suit, which was filed last month in Superior Court in Los Angeles. 'Despite these warnings, defendants did not take appropriate measures to protect the identities of individuals appearing in the film.' Representatives for Disney, Nat Geo and Hulu did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The director, Matthew Heineman, and producer, Caitlin McNally, also did not respond to requests for comment. National Geographic had previously said in a statement to The Washington Post that it took down the film in "an abundance of caution." 'We were devastated to learn of the death of one of those brave Afghans and our heart goes out not only to his family but to all those still in danger as they fight against a brutal terrorist organization," it added. Heineman and McNally told The Washington Post in a statement that they 'have no recollection' of receiving specific warnings about the showing the Afghan bomb-clearers in the film. They called Khan's death "a heartbreaking tragedy." The film won three Emmy awards in 2023, as well as an Edward R. Murrow Award for feature documentary. But it was pulled from its platforms last year after The Washington Post began inquiring about whether certain scenes may have placed some of the subjects in danger of retaliation. 'This man was a hero,' said the lawyer representing Khan's family, Uustal of the Kelley | Uustal Law Firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 'He trusted that those documenting his bravery would take the most basic steps to protect his safety. But they didn't even blur his face.' Khan was part of a specially trained unit, known as the National Mine Reduction Group, tasked with identifying and disabling the insurgents' weapon of choice against American soldiers: improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. It was an exceptionally dangerous job that put the Afghans in harm's way on a daily basis, said Dave Elliott, a former Green Beret. 'Special operations soldiers are often referred to as the tip of the spear,' Elliott said. 'These guys were the tip of the tip.' 'I don't know how many lives can be attributed to them,' added Elliott, 'but it's gotta be in the thousands, and that's just U.S. forces.' Elliott is now the deputy director of the nonprofit 1208 Foundation, which provides assistance to Afghans who worked with U.S. Special Forces. The group's executive director, Thomas Kasza, said there are still several Afghans whose faces were shown in the film and remain in danger in Afghanistan due to bureaucratic delays in a special visa program designed to help Afghans who worked with the U.S. military. Kasza testified at a congressional hearing on the dangers of Taliban reprisals in January 2024. He urged lawmakers not to turn their backs on the Afghans who risked their lives for the U.S. 'As Retrograde became a hit in Hollywood, it became a hit list in Afghanistan,' Kasza told a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 'A hit list which the Taliban used to identify, abduct, torture and kill one who my organization pledged to protect: a [25]-year-old father named Omar.' Kasza told the lawmakers that an Afghan member of his foundation spoke to Khan while the man was on his deathbed and recorded his account. 'When the Taliban had me, they showed me the 'Retrograde' movie and said you have worked with foreign forces and also worked in the movie,' Khan said, according to Kasza. 'They found me through the 'Retrograde' movie and are still asking villagers and my family members about me." This article was originally published on
NBC News
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
A Nat Geo documentary caused my husband's murder, widow says in lawsuit
The widow of an Afghan man – whose lawyer says was tortured and killed by the Taliban after his identity was revealed in an Emmy-winning National Geographic documentary – has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the filmmakers in Los Angeles. Omar Khan — whose good looks earned him the nickname 'Justin Bieber' — was among a group of Afghan mine-clearers who appeared in the film, 'Retrograde.' The documentary, which chronicled the final chaotic months of America's 20-year war in Afghanistan, debuted on National Geographic channel and Hulu in December 2022. Soon after, a TikTok video circulated in Afghanistan showing scenes from the film and then Khan was seized by the Taliban and tortured for over two weeks, according to the widow's lawyer, John Uustal, and two former Green Berets who remain in touch with other Afghans who were close to Khan. He died of his injuries in April 2023 at the age of 25. His ordeal was detailed at a congressional hearing on the threat of Taliban reprisals in 2024, as well as in a Washington Post story that was published months later. The lawsuit names as defendants several companies behind the film, including Disney, National Geographic and Hulu. The film showed close-up images of Khan and other mine-clearers even though its director and producer had been warned that doing so would jeopardize their lives, according to the lawsuit and the two former Green Berets who spoke to NBC News. 'Military personnel warned defendants about safety concerns regarding the identities of individuals who had assisted U.S. operations appearing in the film,' says the suit, which was filed last month in Superior Court in Los Angeles. 'Despite these warnings, defendants did not take appropriate measures to protect the identities of individuals appearing in the film.' Representatives for Disney, Nat Geo and Hulu did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The director, Matthew Heineman, and producer, Caitlin McNally, also did not respond to requests for comment. National Geographic had previously said in a statement to The Washington Post that it took down the film in "an abundance of caution." 'We were devastated to learn of the death of one of those brave Afghans and our heart goes out not only to his family but to all those still in danger as they fight against a brutal terrorist organization," it added. Heineman and McNally told The Washington Post in a statement that they 'have no recollection' of receiving specific warnings about the showing the Afghan bomb-clearers in the film. They called Khan's death "a heartbreaking tragedy." The film won three Emmy awards in 2023, as well as an Edward R. Murrow Award for feature documentary. But it was pulled from its platforms last year after The Washington Post began inquiring about whether certain scenes may have placed some of the subjects in danger of retaliation. 'This man was a hero,' said the lawyer representing Khan's family, Uustal of the Kelley | Uustal Law Firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 'He trusted that those documenting his bravery would take the most basic steps to protect his safety. But they didn't even blur his face.' Khan was part of a specially trained unit, known as the National Mine Reduction Group, tasked with identifying and disabling the insurgents' weapon of choice against American soldiers: improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. It was an exceptionally dangerous job that put the Afghans in harm's way on a daily basis, said Dave Elliott, a former Green Beret. 'Special operations soldiers are often referred to as the tip of the spear,' Elliott said. 'These guys were the tip of the tip.' 'I don't know how many lives can be attributed to them,' added Elliott, 'but it's gotta be in the thousands, and that's just U.S. forces.' Elliott is now the deputy director of the nonprofit 1208 Foundation, which provides assistance to Afghans who worked with U.S. Special Forces. The group's executive director, Thomas Kasza, said there are still several Afghans whose faces were shown in the film and remain in danger in Afghanistan due to bureaucratic delays in a special visa program designed to help Afghans who worked with the U.S. military. Kasza testified at a congressional hearing on the dangers of Taliban reprisals in January 2024. He urged lawmakers not to turn their backs on the Afghans who risked their lives for the U.S. 'As Retrograde became a hit in Hollywood, it became a hit list in Afghanistan,' Kasza told a subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. 'A hit list which the Taliban used to identify, abduct, torture and kill one who my organization pledged to protect: a [25]-year-old father named Omar.' Kasza told the lawmakers that an Afghan member of his foundation spoke to Khan while the man was on his deathbed and recorded his account. 'When the Taliban had me, they showed me the 'Retrograde' movie and said you have worked with foreign forces and also worked in the movie,' Khan said, according to Kasza. 'They found me through the 'Retrograde' movie and are still asking villagers and my family members about me."
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Did a Nat Geo Doc Lead to the Death of an Afghan Who Helped the U.S.? Man's Family Sues Disney
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways At around midnight on a winter night in 2023, Omar, a then 21-year-old member of a group of Afghan minesweepers tasked with protecting Green Berets in the region, heard a knock on his door. His brother, eight years his junior, asked who it was. 'The Taliban,' answered a man on the other side of the side of the gate, dressed in traditional Afghan garb, according to a transcript reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter from an interpreter who recounted Omar's telling of events. More from The Hollywood Reporter Omar was blindfolded and arrested. He didn't return for more than two weeks, at which point he was found bloodied and bruised from beatings and drownings that saw him drift in and out of consciousness. Taliban forces tracked down Omar from a scene in Retrograde, Matthew Heineman's acclaimed 2022 documentary providing an on-the-ground look at the U.S.' withdrawal from Afghanistan a year earlier. In a close-up, the camera pans to him as another member of the National Mine Reduction Group, or NMRG, voices concerns of being hunted when he returns to civilian life. A clip from that segment of the documentary later spread like wildfire on TikTok in Afghanistan. They 'showed me Retrograde movie and said you have worked with foreign forces and also worked in the movie,' Omar said, according to the transcript prepared by a former Special Forces Interpreter for the 1208 Foundation, an organization that evacuates Afghans who cleared mines for U.S. forces in the region. 'They found me through Retrograde movie and are still asking of me from villagers and my family members.' A medical examination showed that Omar's ribs were broken and lungs not properly working, among other internal injuries. He was taken across the border into Pakistan, where he received four surgeries. Upon returning to Afghanistan roughly a month later, he was again detained and beaten — this time to death. Omar's wife and child have been extracted from Afghanistan into another country where they'll be safer from the threat of Taliban reprisals. And now, the family is suing the producers and distributors of the documentary, including Disney and National Geographic, faulting them for the slaying. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on April 24, alleges wrongful death, negligence and unfair business practices. It accuses the documentary's producers and distributors of exploiting Omar's identity for 'commercial gain while knowingly placing him in grave danger' and failing to adhere to industry standards regarding the protection of people appearing in documentaries filmed in war zones. The estate seeks unspecified damages and names National Geographic, which produced the title as part of a joint agreement with Disney, Picturehouse and Our Time Projects, Heineman's production banner. Retrograde follows the final nine months of America's 20-year war in Afghanistan. National Geographic quietly removed the documentary from its platforms last year after The Washington Post published a story exploring whether the feature put some of its subjects in danger. It no longer appears on Disney+ or Hulu. Last year, the Radio Television Digital News Association rescinded a prestigious journalism award to the documentary, citing background information it received over the 'filmmaking process' following publication of the Post's article. In a statement at the time, Heineman and Retrograde producer Caitlin McNally said, 'The U.S. government's precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the vengeful actions of the Taliban upon taking power — armed with detailed information identifying Afghans who worked with the U.S. government — led to the deaths of countless partners left behind. That is the tragic story that warrants attention. But any attempt to blame 'Retrograde' because the film showed faces of individuals in war zones — as has long been standard in ethical conflict reporting — would be deeply wrong.' They've pointed to the U.S. military approving the film for release — a decision that could relate to the potential endangerment of Afghan contractors but not its personnel. 'The bottom line is that both the military public affairs officers and the Green Berets approved the final version of the film for release, which included faces of NMRG,' they told the Post. Theodore Boutrous Jr., a First Amendment lawyer who represents the duo, declined to comment. THR, which held this story until Omar's family was safely evacuated from Afghanistan, has reached out to Disney, National Geographic and Our Time Projects for comment. Before the documentary was released, Heineman and McNally were warned multiple times by U.S. military personnel and former Green Berets that the mine-clearers would be endangered if they were shown in Retrograde, say Thomas Kasza and Dave, who was granted anonymity because he's an active U.S. military member. They run the 1208 Foundation and extracted Omar's family from Afghanistan. Kasza and Dave urged Heineman and the documentary's producers, as well as Disney and National Geographic, to blur the faces of NMRG personnel but were met with resistance. Retrograde was 'pretty much a Hollywood hit list' for the Taliban, Kasza says. Ahead of the documentary's premiere in 2022, McNally said in a message to Dave that she was concerned about the safety of an Afghan man who appeared in the production, according to texts reviewed by THR. 'We've been trying to get him out for weeks but haven't been able to,' she wrote, saying that he's 'definitely in danger now.' Nine others whose faces were shown in the documentary remain in hiding, according to the organization. One fled to Iran after its release but was deported soon after. At the heart of the lawsuit: Allegations that Retrograde's creators ignored the safety of Afghan minesweepers whose faces were revealed in the production. It also brings a claim for deceptive business practices, accusing producers of failing to obtain Omar's consent to use his likeness and identity without a proper release and misrepresenting the documentary as a 'responsible portrayal of the Afghanistan withdrawal while knowingly endangering the lives of those depicted.' 'What Disney did here compounds the tragedy,' says John Uustal, a partner at Kelley Uustal whose firm filed the lawsuit on behalf of the estate of Omar, referring to the entertainment giant's refusal to insist on blurring the faces and assist with evacuation efforts for the family. Kasza and Dave contend that Disney could've facilitated the evacuation of minesweepers vulnerable to Taliban revenge killings but chose not to. There's precedent, Kasza says, with the company in 2021 writing endorsement letters for roughly 300 Afghan cast and crew who worked on Homeland, which was produced by a TV arm of Fox. Adds Dave: 'Heineman's thing was that the faces of despair tell the story. I'm not going to argue against that, but if those faces are being used so you can release a documentary and put some more awards on your shelf, that doesn't mean that it's right.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter Sign up for THR's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Hamilton Spectator
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Lights, camera, action in Jackson Square food court
What do they do in a mall food court at night? Sometimes they make movies. Jackson Square opened its food court this month to the psychological drama 'Pocket Mirror.' The film follows the story of Maisie, who believes her cat has been replaced with a doppelganger. She hires a detective to determine the truth and finds out more about her life than she bargained for. Near Burger King in the empty food court at about midnight on April 9, Sofia Banzhaf acts in a scene where she talks to her private investigator, actor Dylan Roberts, who is off camera. The crew of 'Pocket Mirror' during a night shoot at Jackson Square this month. From left: writer-director Adrian Murray, producers Sennah Yee and Priscilla Galvez and first assistant director Matt Moreland. The film is a psychological drama about a woman who gets more than she bargained for when she hires a detective to investigate whether her cat was replaced with a doppelganger. Banzhaf was in Nicolas Cage's 2023 film 'Dream Scenario,' which shot in Burlington and was also in the TV show 'Bitten.' Roberts had a role in the Robin Williams' comedy 'Death to Smoochy' (2002), which was shot in Hamilton. About a dozen crew members mill around under the watchful eyes of two mall security guards. One crew member, first assistant director Matt Moreland, from Hamilton, stands out because he is wearing cow-print pants. Another scene is shot of Roberts talking to Banzhaf, who is off camera. During filming, producers Priscilla Galvez and Sennah Yee hear a sound that is not supposed to be there. They call one of the guards over and he says it is probably coming from a machine being used by a cleaner in a nearby hallway. The problem is solved and shooting continues. A break is called for, but all will be back at work at 1 a.m. Producer Sennah Yee looks through a monitor during the filming of 'Pocket Mirror.' Film scenes were shot in the deserted food court of Jackson Square around midnight on April 9. 'Pocket Mirror' is the brainchild of writer and director Adrian Murray, who won best director for his film 'Retrograde' at the 2023 Canadian Film Festival. That film was about a neurotic woman who persistently fights a traffic ticket she received while helping her new roommate move in. CBC Arts named Murray one of the 17 great Canadian directors to watch in 2017 after his first feature, a crime drama called 'Withdrawn.' Murray said 'Pocket Mirror' evolved from his thoughts about a man going to the police to tell them his dog wasn't his dog anymore. It morphed into the idea of a cat and he spent about eight months writing it. It is also based on feelings felt during the pandemic, his father losing his hearing and having memories of songs. 'I'm emphasizing what it's like to live in a world that's changing before our eyes and changing faster than we can keep up with,' Murray said. 'What's it like to be afraid of this new artificial world while simultaneously being comforted by it.' 'Pocket Mirror' is produced by Fantom Ogi Films, run by Galvez and Yee. Producers in their own right, their joint company is named for Galvez's pet dog and Yee's cat. The budget is $1.1 million and the production received funding from Telefilm last year. Vortex Media is the Canadian distributor, but the plan is to put the movie in film festivals to find an international distributor. The movie also features Maziyar Khatam as Maisie's boyfriend, Nima. The production spent two days shooting at Jackson Square during an 18-day shooting schedule and wrapped up April 14. Other locations included the Pearle Hotel and Spa in Burlington. This is the third feature for Murray and Yee (they are partners in film and life) and the second that involves Galvez. She was a producer on 'Retrograde.' 'That was really a great partnership, so we said 'Let's do it again,'' Galvez said. They were already feeling the pangs of postproduction blues. This was Moreland's first time working with this production team, though he had worked with Galvez. He has worked on more than 20 holiday movies and the Oscar-winning 'Women Talking.' Murray has garnered a reputation as a minimalist director — lots of long takes — and Moreland said that has been a first for him in filmmaking. He said the experience was 'really fun' and 'really interesting.'
Time Out
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Ryan Calais Cameron: ‘I am just a playwright. I don't have the answers'
Tooting-born, Catford-bred playwright Ryan Calais Cameron is a massive rising star. That's not a subjective assessment: just take a look at the man's diary. 'People used to call my agent and she'd say: Ryan isn't free for 18 months,' he says. 'And that was a deterrent. Now they're like: cool, can we get him signed up now for next year? So now we have to have deeper conversations about what I take on, because there are whole chunks of the next four, five years that are no longer my own.' As writer of two hit West End plays, under commission to create three TV shows, he's not saying this to boast – in fact, it takes me the best part of our 45 minute chat to get him to explain how mad his life has become. But the truth is, things have gotten so serious that he has to leave London and its temptations to get on top of all the writing he's agreed to. 'I have a place at an apartment in Rotterdam overlooking the harbour,' he explains. 'Downstairs you've got the spa, you've got the sauna, you've got really good food around the town. But it's also really, really boring. It means I can immerse myself in my writing. I just can't do that if I'm easily accessible.' Much of this work is for screen: he's written for shows including Queenie and Boarders, and now things are really taking off for him, he's developing two shows of his own with Netflix and Channel 4. The reason this is happening for him can squarely be traced back to his 2021 play . A sort of existential celebration of Black male vulnerability in which a group of young men spill their darkest secrets in hilarious, disturbing, heartbreaking fashion, it opened at the tiny New Diorama Theatre and snowballed in popularity from there, with a stint at the Royal Court followed by two full runs in the West End. Today we're meeting backstage at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue to discuss its follow up, Retrograde. The virtual opposite of For Black Boys…, it's a snappy 90-minute period thriller about a young Sidney Poitier's first forays into Red Scare-era Hollywood. Set in a paranoid America mistrustful of Black people and anyone who seems even slightly leftwing (sound familiar?) it began life at the respected Kiln Theatre in Kilburn, and now it's in the West End, giving Cameron West End hit number two. 'Not at all! We actually did the first reading of it in 2018, before For Black Boys. It's just really weird watching it last night and seeing how relevant it is. It's more relevant now than it was in '18. Even in 2023 it was like, oh, America's boring again. Now there's a level of hysteria there again, you know?' Was following up the success of For Black Boys daunting? 'When we put Retrograde on in 2023 I think it was the most anxiety I've ever had in my whole entire life. You know, literally going, am I crazy for putting this on? I've got an audience now who know me for For Black Boys and I've made something totally different. And you know, when I first penned this, I hadn't even been to New York. You get those voices in your head like, you're an outsider, you're a fraud, you shouldn't be writing this kind of stuff.' I got into theatre because it was more accessible than finding three million pounds to make a TV show Have you always been a Sidney Poitier fan? 'I properly came across Sidney when Obama gave him an award [the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009]. I started reading about him and there was one article where he was talking to Oprah about the Red Scare and McCarthyism and how it affected him and how he was blacklisted from Hollywood, or he thought he was. And I was like: this sounds like a thriller. But surely someone's written it? I looked it up and no one had. The idea wouldn't leave me alone. I entered a playwriting competition to win some money to take time out to be able to research, and I said to myself 'if I win then I'll write the play'. When I won and I was like, okay, I gotta write this play now.' To the uninitiated, why was he such an important figure? How did he go so much further than Black actors before him? 'He was born in Barbados. And being born outside of Jim Crow [segregation] was massive. For a lot of African Americans of his generation being Black and being a man was almost a huge contradiction – like how can I be a man if I've constantly got this knee on my neck? Whereas Sidney was born in a place where everybody was Black, race was not a massive thing for him, so he was able to establish himself as a man: these are the things that I stand for; these are the things that I don't stand for; you can't talk to me this way; you can't disrespect me. And then you put this guy in America and it's like a chemical reaction. Somebody who didn't really care about what you thought about him or his ancestry or his ethnicity. A man that was going to achieve his goals by any means necessary.' A lot of young playwrights get a bit of attention and disappear into TV. Is that going to happen to you? Or does the fact you've had actual hit plays mean you'll stay with us? 'A bit of both! TV was my first love, even before theatre. I got into theatre because it was more accessible than being given three million pounds to make a TV show, do you know what I mean? What I want is a really healthy artistic career. I wanna be able to have the artistic freedom to articulate the things that are on my mind.' A lot has been made about you being a Black playwright, as opposed to just a playwright. Are you happy to have your ethnicity constantly referenced? 'I feel like it is what it is for journalists. For me there's never been a time in my career where I've gone: oh, I'm the only Black person, I'm the first Black person. That's not the ambition. My ambition is to be able to put work out there my contemporaries like. But in the last 18 months we've had Shifters, Red Pitch, and Roy Williams and Clint Dyer's Death of England trilogy all in the West End. I couldn't have imagined that five years ago.' For Black Boys was a very emotional work – did you find people wanted to have big chats with you about it? 'Ha! I don't think anybody ever just said: oh, that was really good, mate. There were emails and talks and I was being invited to do a lot of kind of deeply intellectual studies on things and I'm like: oh man, I respect it, but I am just a playwright. I don't have the answers to any of this stuff. I am one of those boys.'
