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“Forgotten Spaceman,” a documentary short film that earned recognition at the Locarno Film Festival, has secured additional production support as it prepares for its North American debut. The film, which won the Leopard of Tomorrow award at Locarno’s Junior Jury Awards, will premiere at the Toronto Film Festival next month with newly appointed executive producers Khan & Kumar Media and Prism Entertainment joining the project.
The documentary, written and directed by BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Elham Ehsas, chronicles the life of Abdul Ahad Momand, Afghanistan’s sole astronaut. Momand traveled to the Mir space station in 1988 during a tumultuous period for his nation, and made history by becoming the first person to speak Pashto from orbit. The film explores broader themes of identity, displacement, and cultural memory while tracing Ehsas’s personal connection to Momand’s extraordinary journey.
Khan & Kumar Media, led by producers Sharib Khan and Vikas Kumar, and Prism Entertainment, represented by Shruti Ganguly, Priya Giri Desai, and Megha Kadakia, join previously announced executive producers from Sixteen Films and others on the project. The film is produced by Lorraine Bhattachary through MonoFilm Productions, with international sales and festival coordination managed by Kino Rebelde’s María Vera.
The production team expressed enthusiasm about the expanding support network. Both new production companies highlighted the film’s universal appeal and its exploration of themes that resonate across cultures and borders, while Ehsas emphasized his optimism about continuing to share Momand’s story with audiences worldwide.
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Originally reported by Variety →
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