In August 2021, Kabul fell into the merciless grip of the Taliban, driving thousands to gamble with death just to escape the city. Kabul, the six-part French series, captures the terror of those final days.

A city’s desperate choice—to kneel or to run—unfolds in Kabul, the gripping six-part French and English-language thriller series premiering on Lionsgate Play on June 20, 2025. Filipino audiences can now immerse themselves in the harrowing reality of August 2021, when the Taliban seized control and the world watched the chaotic withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan.

More than a historical reenactment, Kabul thrusts viewers into the human stories behind the headlines. Set against the Taliban’s takeover on August 15, 2021, the series weaves multiple narratives, focusing on the Nazany family’s desperate fight for survival. As direct targets of the Taliban, their harrowing struggle to escape the city, facing impossible choices at every turn, powerfully illustrates personal devastation amidst a geopolitical crisis.

From creators Olivier Demangel, Thomas Finkielkraut, and Joé Lavy, and directors Kasia Adamik and Olga Chajdas, Kabul also highlights the frantic, high-stakes efforts of European diplomats and security personnel. As panic grips the city and the airport becomes a desperate bottleneck, a French diplomat, a German soldier, and an Italian attaché race against time to evacuate their citizens and vulnerable Afghan allies, all while navigating escalating tensions and the constant threat of attack.

Drawing powerful inspiration from real events, this blood-pumping series has a deeply personal root: co-producer Fabienne Servan-Schreiber’s direct involvement in evacuating Afghan artists and doctors in summer 2021. Her tireless efforts, including funding plane tickets, inspired her son and fellow producer, Matthias Weber, to develop the series and share these critical stories.

The cast reads like a global passport: Shervin Alenabi, Jonathan Zaccaï, Eric Dane, Vassilis Koukalani, Jeanne Goursaud, Gianmarco Saurino, Valentina Cervi, and more bring fierce authenticity to every frame. From tense embassy corridors to wrenching family separations, Kabulgoes beyond the headlines to tell a deeply human story of courage, loss, and impossible choices. It’s raw. It’s gritty. It’s real. And it’s a series you won’t just watch but you’ll feel.

Talking about the series, lead actress Jeanne Goursaud said, “In the beginning of the series, you see that they have a normal life, they have their family life, they eat, they talk, they are already afraid of what’s going to happen, but these are things that can happen to anybody. These are stories that, even in our time today, I think this is so sad. Everybody can be a victim, and I think this is why we need to take each other’s hands and help each other, and this is so important. This is what we’re talking about in the series as well.”

She continued, saying, “I think that with everything that’s happening in the world right now it’s important to tell these kinds of stories and to show what it is to be human to have empathy, and in Afghanistan, as women, you’re not allowed to do anything anymore. Not even singing in the street or going to the gym or talking in the street. This is incredibly sad.”

Thomas Finkielkraut, co-creator of Kabul, spoke about the experience of developing the series, “It’s true that as an author it’s quite extraordinary to have such recent elements, that are still fresh in our minds, to have only just lived it and you’re already writing it as fiction. It was a good challenge because that’s also the power of fiction, to take us away from everything that we see on the news, to place images in our collective memories. It’s the power of fiction and it’s why we decided to talk about the exile of an Afghan family to create empathy towards these people.”

Don’t miss this unforgettable deep dive into a moment that changed the world. Kabul premieres June 20, 2025, only on Lionsgate Play.

About Lionsgate Play

Lionsgate Play, a premium streaming service from Lionsgate India and Starz, offers bespoke quality content to its users. It boasts premium and curated content including Premieres, billion-dollar Franchise Movies and binge-worthy Box Sets. Lionsgate Play is accessible to consumers in the Philippines via the app. For a monthly subscription cost of PHP 79, the titles can be streamed with a PLDT Home account.

A curated selection of Lionsgate Play titles is also available on Cignal Super, the Philippines’ first and only streaming aggregator. As a special launch offer, new users can enjoy Premium+ for just ₱399/month and Premium for only ₱249/month, extended until June 30, 2025.

For more information about Lionsgate Play Philippines, visit lionsgateplay.com and follow them on Facebook,  Instagram, and Tiktok.