No Book This Year

With the collapse of the Afghan government and the complete takeover of the country by the Taliban, the wheels of culture and knowledge in Afghanistan came to a complete halt, plunging the nation into the darkness of medieval times. The Frankfurt Book Fair, the most important book fair in the world, annually hosts various countries to promote global culture and knowledge. In recent years, with the fall of Afghanistan, the country lost its booth at this fair. This documentary tells the story of a woman named Yalda, who has been one of the staff members of Afghanistan’s booth in recent years. Several years after the closure of her country’s booth, she decides to independently launch Afghanistan’s booth at the Frankfurt Book Fair. She prepares a call and gathers Afghan residents in Germany along with inviting Afghan writers, once again launching this booth at the most important book fair in the world. Her success leads to Afghanistan once again having a continuous presence at the book fair.

After officials at the Frankfurt Book Fair viewed the film, the fair’s directors granted a permanent pavilion dedicated to showcasing Afghan culture, distinct from its government. No Book This Year follows Yalda, a former staff member of Afghanistan’s booth at the fair, who, years after its closure, takes it upon herself to reestablish Afghanistan’s presence. Her commitment to sharing Afghan literature and heritage persists despite countless challenges, embodying the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring drive to preserve cultural identity.