- Synopsis -

Unbeknownst to her Afghan neighbors, Shabnam Kapur works as a translator for the United States Military, just as the Afghan state falls to ruin amid the Taliban takeover.

As her location loses cover, she prepares for an evacuation that brings her face-to-face with the hallmarks of her life and culture: a Kabul bookseller preparing his flight to Pakistan, a chain-smoking taxi-driver volunteering for a dangerous mission to the city’s interior, and the Taliban teenagers now on patrol.

-

Interwoven with the Afghan narrative is the story of Special Operations’ Jon Tyler, from deep within the United States compound in Kabul.

Jon works out to exhaustion, as he contemplates, not just the fate of his Afghan brothers and training partner, Kad, but that of his romantic obsession and deepest secret, Shabnam.

Doomsday farewells are given to Afghan operators, just as Jon forms a midnight decision and battle plan; revealed only to his closest confidant.

Writer/Director

Tyler Kindred

Tyler Kindred has worked in hollywood as a director, editor and vfx supervisor.

A director for actors and musicians many years, he become personal videographer to Beyoncé in 2018, spending countless hours with her to capture what became the grammy award-winning documentary, Homecoming.

In 2019, he began the post-house The Light Shop, Los Angeles, to improve the process of advanced post production. There he supervised the visual effects sequences for some of the largest music videos under labels such as Atlantic, Universal and Capitol.

Today, his post-house maintains the quarterly campaigns for major retail giants like Oliver Peoples, Luxxotica, Tommy Bahama, and Amazon.

Producer/Lead Actor

Paul Thoma

Paul Thoma graduated with BUD/S Class 286 and served at SEAL Team Seven where he did multiple deployments across the middle east to include Iraq & Africa during Operation Inherent Resolve.

Today, he serves as the Executive Director for The Seal Future Foundation, providing aid for Navy Seals as they transition to civilian life.

An accomplished actor, Paul plays ‘Saunders’ in Amazon’s series, Jack Ryan and his work can be seen in Top Gun: Maverick, Stranger Things, Michael Bay's Ambulance and Bosch: Legacy.

Chris Denison

Stunt Co-ordinator

Chris Denison is a SAG-AFTRA stunt coordinator whose credits include Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever, Logan, and James Cameron's Avatar sequels. A PFI freediving instructor, drift car driver, and former professional motocross athlete, Denison previously served as the Editor-In-Chief for the world's largest off-road motorcycle magazine before transitioning full-time to a career in film, where he quickly amassed firsthand experience in multiple aspects of action design by way of massive car wrecks, helicopter stunts, fire burns, and fight choreography. Denison is currently serving as the supervising stunt coordinator for an undisclosed Marvel feature film. 

Kevin Kent

Military Advisor

Kevin Kent retired after 21 years of active duty with Naval Special Warfare (US Navy SEAL Teams) as a Chief Special Warfare Operator (E-7). He graduated Basic Underwater Demolition/ SEAL Training (BUD/S) with class 200 and spent more than 15 years with SEAL Team Five, in Coronado, CA, where he completed 9 special operations combat deployments worldwide, including 6 to Iraq and Afghanistan (OIF/OEF) where he was awarded for combat valor. His most recent film and TV credits include "Da 5 Bloods" "The Tomorrow War" "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" "Bosch: Legacy" and Seasons 1 through 4 of Tom Clancy's "Jack Ryan."

Hamzah Saman

Casting

Hamzah Saman, CSA Casting Director, proud of member of Casting Society of America, Owner of Arab American Casting and MENASA Actor. Saman was born in Beirut, Lebanon and came to the U.S. when he was 15 years old. Saman is one of the first online MENASA and Arab American Casting Directors with over 80,000 members worldwide on the ArabAmeicanCasting.com and MENASAactors.com website/app. He worked in the LA Casting Unit on the documentary He Named Me Malala (2015) with the Oscar-winning director, Davis Gugenheim. Saman also helped with casting in Argo (2012). Saman has been working to change the perception of Arab and Middle Eastern artists in Hollywood through his acting and casting work. As a Casting Director he has worked on over 40 feature, and short films, commercials, and television shows. As an actor, he worked on General Hospital in 2019, and booked 4 roles in feature films in 2019. Saman also starred as "Inmate 093" in Tom Six's horror film trilogy, The Human Centipede III (Final Sequence) (2015). He played an Arab prisoner who becomes part of a 500-person centipede and shared an unforgettable scene with Eric Roberts. In addition, Saman worked as a voiceover artist on the films X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and Escape Plan (2013) and more.

Shabnam Hassan

Co-Writer/Translator

Shabnam spent her life within the boundaries of Kabul, Afghanistan. After the collapse of August 15, 2021, she chose a daring mission to escape the country and pursue an international college education, just as Kabul fell to ruin and the Taliban regime took control.

She has chosen to keep her identity anonymous, as many of her loved ones still live in Afghanistan.

Her story of escape has been adapted within Abbey Gate, to give life to one of humanity’s most silent cultures.