November 21, 2014
Release Date

8.2

Saving Mes Aynak (2014)

Name: Saving Mes Aynak
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2014-11-21

58m

Running Time

November 21, 2014
Release Date

External Links & Social Media

Network & Production Companies

Plot.

Saving Mes Aynak follows Afghan archaeologist Qadir Temori as he races against time to save a 5,000-year-old archaeological site in Afghanistan from imminent demolition. A Chinese state-owned mining company is closing in on the ancient site, eager to harvest $100 billion dollars worth of copper buried directly beneath the archaeological ruins. Only 10% of Mes Aynak has been excavated, though, and some believe future discoveries at the site have the potential to redefine the history of Afghanistan and the history of Buddhism itself. Qadir Temori and his fellow Afghan archaeologists face what seems an impossible battle against the Chinese, the Taliban and local politics to save their cultural heritage from likely erasure.

Where to Watch.

Free

Subs

Rent

Currently Saving Mes Aynak is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Hoopla, OVID, Amazon Video

Streaming in:
🇺🇸 United States

Cast & Crew.

Qadir Temori

himself

Brent E. Huffman

Director

Zak Piper

Producer

Xiaoli Zhou

Producer

Details.

Release Date
November 21, 2014

Status
Released

Running Time
58m

Budget
$225,000

Genres
Documentary

Last updated: 2025-02-13

Wiki.

Saving Mes Aynak is a 2014 independent documentary film, directed, produced, shot and edited by Brent E. Huffman. It was produced out of Kartemquin Films, the landmark Chicago-based documentary house, along with producer Zak Piper.

It focuses on Afghan archaeologist Qadir Temori and his struggle to save Mes Aynak, a 5,000-year-old archaeological site in Afghanistan which faces demolition. Saving Mes Aynak was the 2014 recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Grant in 2014.

Saving Mes Aynak premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in November 2014. It later aired on Al Jazeera America and Al Jazeera English networks in July 2015 and was also broadcast on multiple other networks in various countries. In 2016, Saving Mes Aynak premiered on Netflix.

"Saving Mes Aynak" has won over 30 major awards and has been broadcast on television in over 70 countries. It can currently be seen on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and on Special Edition DVD with Icarus Films. The film was directed by Brent E. Huffman. He was awarded The International Academic Forum Documentary Film Award and Reva and David Logan Foundation Grant in 2015 in part for his work on the film.