A new international series has been filming in Athens and the surrounding area since April 1st. “Kabul” (working title) is a production by the public co-production group European Alliance, to which ZDF also belongs, in co-production with New8. Details about the cast and the content of the drama series are already known.
According to ZDF, the six episodes are directed by Olga Chaidas (41) and Kasia Adamik (51), the scripts come from Olivier De Mangel (41) and Thomas Finkielkraut. The cast includes “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” star Eric Dane (51), “Tehran” star Shervin Alenabi (28) as well as the Belgian actors Jonathan Zaccaï (53) and Thibault Evrard (33), the French actor Olivier Rabourdin (65) and the German-French actress Jeanne Goursaud (28). Gianmarco Saurino (31) and Valentina Cervi (49) are involved from Italy and Ludwig Blochberger (41), David Rott (46) and Leonard Scheicher (31) from Germany. Filming is expected to continue until July 5, 2024; the exact broadcast dates have not yet been announced.
According to the ZDF announcement, “Kabul” will focus on the events surrounding the arrival of the Taliban on August 14, 2021. France is preparing to evacuate its embassy, but this is affected by the sudden fall of Kabul. “French, Italian, German and American diplomats and the police have to improvise the evacuation of hundreds of Afghan and international refugees to the airport,” the series content continues. According to Variety, the production from Cinétévé and 24 25 Films (Mediawan) will show the evacuation of various people, “from diplomats to soldiers to civilians, who desperately seek refuge and solidarity in a crisis-torn country as the Taliban arrive in Kabul.” .
“’Kabul’ is a demanding series, both in terms of narrative and cinematic approach,” explains Valérie Vleeschhouwer, CEO of Mediawan Rights. “We are confident that this series will captivate a large international audience against the backdrop of the Kabul evacuation in 2021.” Fabienne Servan Schreiber, president of Cinétévé, took part in the rescue efforts for several Afghan families. “From this observation grew the desire to bear witness through fiction to this unique episode and to show how, in those two weeks in August 2021, Kabul became the center of the world and the scene of failure and decline.”
