Forgotten Spaceman (2026): Elham Ehsas's New Film

The forgotten story of Afghanistan's first and only astronaut is finally getting its moment in the spotlight. Forgotten Spaceman, a 16-minute documentary directed by Elham Ehsas, is set for release on August 9, 2026, and a new exclusive trailer has just landed, offering a poignant glimpse into a remarkable slice of history that has remained largely untold.

The film centers on Abdul Ahad Momand, who in 1988 became the first Afghan to travel to space. His journey was a singular achievement, but it unfolded against the backdrop of a nation on the brink of collapse. The documentary captures the profound contrast between Momand’s historic orbit and the turmoil unfolding below him on Earth.

From his position in orbit, Momand achieved another first: he called his mother, making Pashto the fourth language ever spoken in space. That deeply personal moment serves as an emotional anchor for the documentary, illustrating how a man’s greatest professional triumph was intertwined with an aching connection to home - a home that was, at that very moment, disintegrating into civil war.

The exclusive trailer, released earlier today, opens with archival footage of the 1988 Soyuz launch, before cutting to present-day interviews with Momand himself. His voice, calm and reflective, narrates the surreal experience of looking down at his homeland while knowing it was being torn apart. The visual language of the trailer alternates between the vast, silent beauty of space and grainy images of conflict, driving home the film’s central irony: the farther he got from Earth, the more clearly he saw his country’s fragility.

Director Elham Ehsas, who also appears in the documentary alongside family members Nazifa Ehsas and Bahram Ehsas, has crafted what appears to be an intimate, meditative portrait rather than a conventional historical recap. The trailer suggests a film less concerned with the mechanics of spaceflight and more focused on the human cost of national tragedy, seen through the eyes of someone who literally had the best view of it.

Momand’s story is one of extreme juxtapositions. He was a military pilot who underwent rigorous Soviet training to earn his place on the Mir space station crew. His eight-day mission was a point of pride for the Soviet-backed Afghan government, a propaganda victory meant to project stability. But the reality was that the Soviet - Afghan War was in its final, brutal stages, and the Mujahideen were closing in. Momand returned from space to a country that had changed irrevocably, and he eventually sought asylum in Germany, where he has lived for decades.

The documentary aims to correct the historical record, giving long-overdue recognition to a man whose name is barely known outside his homeland. It also raises questions about the nature of heroism when personal achievement is overshadowed by geopolitical catastrophe. The trailer hints at these deeper themes, showing Momand visiting a classroom of Afghan children, their faces lit with wonder as he explains the stars - a quiet reminder that his legacy, however complicated, still inspires.

At just 16 minutes, Forgotten Spaceman is a compact yet ambitious work. It does not attempt to chronicle the full history of Afghanistan’s conflicts, but instead uses Momand’s personal experience as a lens through which to examine loss, exile, and memory. The film’s brevity works in its favor, forcing a concentrated emotional impact that a longer feature might dilute.

The trailer also showcases a striking sound design, where the silence of space is punctuated by the crackle of radio transmissions and the distant echoes of Momand’s voice speaking to his mother. That call, preserved in Soviet mission logs, serves as the film’s emotional climax - a fleeting, tender moment of human connection across a vast distance, made all the more powerful by the knowledge that the world Momand left behind would soon cease to exist.

Ehsas, a former actor turned director, has previously explored themes of displacement and identity in his short films, and Forgotten Spaceman appears to be a natural extension of those interests. His decision to include himself and his family in the documentary suggests a personal stake in the story, perhaps as a way of confronting the historical amnesia that has erased figures like Momand from mainstream consciousness.

As the release date approaches, the documentary arrives at a moment when Afghanistan’s recent history is once again under scrutiny. The film does not offer easy answers or political commentary, but it does provide a powerful, human-centric counter-narrative to the usual news headlines. It reminds audiences that even amid chaos, individuals can achieve extraordinary feats - and that those feats often become bittersweet reminders of what was lost.

With its intimate scale, archival richness, and universal themes, Forgotten Spaceman is poised to be a must-watch for documentary enthusiasts and anyone interested in untold chapters of the space race. The trailer, which has already generated buzz in festival circles, suggests a film that is both a tribute and a requiem. For now, audiences only have to wait a bit longer to see the full journey of the man who soared above his collapsing homeland - and who, for one brief moment, carried the hopes of a nation with him into the stars.

Source: Hollywood Reporter