Lannoo Publishers presents Kings of Afghanistan, a photo book by award-winning filmmaker Pieter-Jan De Pue
Lannoo Publishers is presenting Kings of Afghanistan, a book that compiles the most striking images of Belgian filmmaker and photographer Pieter-Jan De Pue's travels through Afghanistan. De Pue spent almost eight years in Afghanistan, researching, preparing and making his film The Land of the Enlightened (2016), which was rewarded with the Award for Best Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival.
During preparing and making his film, De Pue continued to take photographs. His photos are portraits of people and landscapes, as are his diary entries. A recurring theme is his huge admiration for the country, its spectacular landscape, and the resourceful children for whom survival became the art of living. His images - both film and photos - come about as a result of a slow process. The landscapes with its timeless caravans of people and animals show the resilience of a country for more than 40 years in war.
The book brings together his most compelling photographs from his time in Afghanistan, focusing on children in survival mode. In a region that was left in ruins, the surprising lust for life and dreams for the future of a generation that aspires to become the new ‘kings of Afghanistan’, offer hope.
International Publishers Award
At the Motovun Group of International Publishers (MGIP) book award, the book won gold in the 'Art & Photography' category and it was also the final laureate with the 'Best of The Best' prize. The prize will be awarded on October 15 on the occasion of the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Exhibition
Pieter-Jan De Pue is launching the book on 20 September at valerie_traan gallery in Antwerp, where an exhibition of a selection of images from Kings of Afghanistan is opening.
Pieter-Jan De Pue
Pieter-Jan De Pue (°1982, Ghent) graduated from the visual arts school RITS in 2007 and has been traveling to Afghanistan ever since. He has been arrested and released several times, and was confronted with an ambush by the Taliban at one point. In 2016, his travels and perseverance resulted in his documentary debut The Land of the Enlightened. He won the Award for Best Cinematography at the Sundance Film Festival, and was recognized by many other international film festivals. In 2018, he was also awarded the Flemish Culture Prize for Film.
Kings of Afghanistan
Pieter-Jan De Pue
Published by Lannoo Publishers
Hardback, 208 pages
€ 49,99
All publications on the book must include the cover of the book
