Frame by Frame is a 2015 documentary film that follows four Afghan photojournalists – Farzana Wahidy, Massoud Hossaini, Wakil Kohsar and Najibullah Musafar – who face struggles as they report during the “photo revolution” that is occurring in the post-Taliban free press. It is directed by Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach.^[2] It had its world premiere at the South by Southwest 2015 Festival in Austin, Texas, and was nominated for a 2015 Cinema Eye Honors Award in the category “Spotlight Award.”

In late 2012, Scarpelli and Bombach traveled to Afghanistan to film a documentary short about photographers.^[3] This turned into the feature-length film Frame by Frame, a personal look at the lives of four Afghan photographers working where photography was formerly banned by the Taliban government. Scarpelli and Bombach raised more than $70,000 using Kickstarter to bring Frame by Frame to life.^[4]

The film was shot in a cinema vérité style, which presented a unique challenge to the filmmakers because they did not speak the native language; oftentimes, they wouldn't know exactly what they had filmed until they got to the editing room and worked with a translator.^[5] Both filmmakers have said that being foreign women and having an all-female crew gave them unique access and allowed them into places that foreign men would have had a much harder time entering.^[6] Because of Scarpelli's background in journalism, she characterizes the film as long-form journalism. “The point of it is to inform and spark dialogue about local journalism under fire.”^[7]

Frame by Frame was shown at over 50 film festivals^[5] including Hot Docs Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival.^[8] Scarpelli and Bombach received enthusiastic praise from film critics. The Hollywood Reporter called Frame by Frame “a work of profound immediacy, in sync with the photographers’ commitment and hope"^[9] and BBC Culture proclaimed “the film features photographers passionate about telling stories of the true identity of Afghanistan – whether they are newsworthy or not.”^[10]

Scarpelli has said she was influenced by character-driven films with strong narratives, including films like Cutie and the Boxer (2013), Virunga (2014), Stories We Tell (2012), and After Tiller (2013).^[11][12]