TIFF 2026 Review: Forgotten Spaceman – “more of a lament than a celebration.”

Amongst all of the domestic turmoil, Abdul Ahad Momand became the first Afghan astronaut to travel into space.

While the Soviets ruled Afghanistan from 1978 to 1992, an historical event occurred, which can either be seen as a monumental Afghan achievement or a patronizing act, when Abdul Ahab Momand spent nine days aboard the Mir space station in 1988 as a research cosmonaut.

There was no attempt to digitally enhance the resolution of the archive footage, which adds to the authenticity and nostalgia of the imagery. It is fascinating to see the images, especially those taken from outer space. A dramatic transition is when the darkness of space gets broken by the nighttime shot of muzzle flashes coming from machine guns; this juxtaposition is at the heart of the tale which is more of a lament than a celebration.

Filmmaker Elham Ehsas inserts his own family into the narrative, as his father was a journalist who interviewed high-profile individuals like Abdul Ahab Momand but eventually had to leave for a factory job in London. It is a shame to see a country collapse in on itself because of foreign and internal forces as war prevails over the bright minds who could bring about an age of international renown and domestic pride.

The 51st Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10-20, 2026, and for more information visit tiff.net.   

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada; he can be found at LinkedIn.