Interpreters Wanted

Saifullah Haqmal and his brother Ismail are educated Afghan men who choose to work with U.S. forces as interpreters, and Robert Ham is one of the Soldiers they befriended over the years. As Robert’s deployment comes to an end, Saifullah and Ismail’s support to U.S. forces continue for years afterward – living in the combat zone of Afghanistan isn’t a one-year tour for them, it’s their day-to-day life. The Taliban threat to the Haqmal brothers’ lives grows more urgent and their communication with their old friend Robert becomes more desperate, as they wait years for their Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) approval. With Afghanistan’s elected government entering its final days, and the country crumbling around them, see the struggle one interpreter has to escape as the Taliban closes in.

  • Robert Ham
    Director
  • Robert Ham
    Writer
  • Jenna Cavelle
    Producer
  • Robert Ham
    Producer
  • Justice FW Pelton
    Producer
  • Saifullah Haqmal
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Ismail Haqmal
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Robert Ham
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Michael Taylor
    Executive Producer
  • Donny O'Malley
    Executive Producer
  • Waco Hoover
    Executive Producer
  • Todd Brockman
    Executive Producer
  • Barry Slaughter Olsen
    Executive Producer
  • Katharine Allen
    Executive Producer
  • Dan Gabriel
    Executive Producer
  • Don Clark
    Co-Producer
  • Melanie Ham
    Co-Producer
  • Ramesh Kumar Kannan
    Original Music
  • Robert Ham
    Edited
  • Tyler Neal Gates
    Edited
  • Chris Morrow
    Co-Editor
  • Joshua Lehnerd
    Director of Photography
  • Emily Chan
    Production Sound Mixer
  • John Paul Robelot
    Production Sound Mixer
  • Joshua Currasco
    Camera Operator/Grip/Swing
  • Gavin Samples
    Camera Operator/Grip/Swing
  • Ismail Haqmal
    Afghanistan Withdrawal Footage
  • Bo Youngblood
    Production Manager
  • Tristan Dyer
    Motion Graphics
  • Tyler Neal Gates
    Motion Graphics
  • Andjela Burzan
    Motion Graphics
  • Gana Comagic
    Motion Graphics
  • Luka Vukcevic
    Motion Graphics
  • Karthic Mohan
    Post-Production Sound Editor/Mixer
  • Kevin Khor
    Post-Production Sound Editor/Mixer
  • Mike Lavigne
    Special Thanks
  • Jessica Mandala
    Special Thanks
  • Jeff Brandimarte
    Special Thanks
  • Lori Douglass
    Special Thanks
  • Matt Jimenez
    Special Thanks
  • Mike Dowling
    Special Thanks
  • Matt Zeller
    Special Thanks
  • Omar Alexander
    Special Thanks
  • Tim Yao
    Special Thanks
  • James Mol
    Special Thanks
  • Justin Szerletich
    Special Thanks
  • Freddy Lopez
    Special Thanks
  • Fahim Fazli
    Special Thanks
  • Chase Milsap
    Special Thanks
  • Janis Shinwari
    Special Thanks
  • Annie Rosevear
    Special Thanks
  • Cynthia Huffman
    Special Thanks
  • August Dannehl
    Special Thanks
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 23 minutes 37 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Robert Ham

LA-native Robert graduated with a BA in film in 2005 and then joined the Army in 2007 as a combat documentarian/videographer. He served a combat tour in Afghanistan in from 2009 - 2010 as a paratrooper with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division (Airborne). Robert received the Department of Defense Military Videographer of the Year award an unprecedented three times, and concluded his military service in 2017.

He has worked with Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, The Veterans Health Administration, the Department of Defense, We Are The Mighty, Monster Energy, and has worked with such talents as Tom Hanks, Michelle Monaghan, Joe Mantegna, Toni Trucks and Max Martini in a variety of projects. 

Robert has won four Emmys and has been nominated for six more and was named a Pat Tillman Foundation Scholar in 2016. He recently debuted a feature documentary about his late wife’s battle with cancer and their life journey called Made With Melanie.

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