Muhammad Abed Baryal
Directing
Biography
Muhammad Abed Baryal (born October 1, 2000, in Wazir Akbar Khan, Kabul, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) is an Afghan filmmaker, producer, editor, and actor based in Kabul. He began his artistic career at the age of ten, appearing in feature films such as Algooye Kochak and Gol Baboneh, both directed by his father, Afghan filmmaker Bahram Baryal. Since 2017, Baryal has been professionally active in the Afghan film industry, working across cinematography and editing and collaborating with film studios and independent cinematic media organizations in Afghanistan. He has also appeared in several films and television series, performing alongside prominent Afghan actor Abdulhamad Khaksar. Between 2017 and 2024, he worked continuously as an editor while maintaining an active presence as an actor. He has developed his craft through extensive hands-on experience and professional exchange with Afghan filmmakers. His work is influenced by filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, David Fincher, David Lynch, Abbas Kiarostami, and the James Bond film series. Awards & Recognition • Official Nominee – Expire, AJR Vision Festival (2025) Nominación Mejor Experimental • Official Selection – Behind the Door, Lift-Off Sessions 2025 (Volume 4: New Voices Shorts) • Official Selection – The Book Seller’s Daughter, Filmmaker Sessions 2025 (Volume 5: New Voices Shorts) • Winner – Best Editing, Did-Naw Short Film Festival (2022), Afghanistan
Known For
Muhammad Abed Baryal has long been fascinated by the idea of creating a film inspired by the life, journeys, and inner world of Whitney Wright - not focusing on her work in the adult industry, but on her unexpected travels through regions such as Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, and Iraq.
Untitled Muhammad Abed Baryal film
In an old library, two people trade book titles as secret codes-an exchange no one around them notices. But as tension quietly builds, one question remains: will the truth be uncovered?
The Book Seller’s Daughter
Inside a confined cube, chaotic shadow dancers move without rhythm or order. A mysterious figure, seen only through fragments of a face, begins reshaping their world — pulling curtains, rebuilding space, and restoring structure to the movement. As the environment transforms, the dancers emerge from confinement into floating bubbles beyond the cube, where dance continues freely. A surreal meditation on dance as one of humanity’s oldest universal expressions of joy, emotion, and existence
THEY NEVER STOP DANCING
Little Statue" directed by Bahram Baryal, is a crime drama film. The story revolves around a gang of criminals who are hired for a mission to steal a golden statue recently discovered in Afghanistan. When their initial plan fails, they resort to kidnapping the daughter of the archaeologist who found the statue. Their goal is to force him to hand over the statue to them instead of the government. But things don’t go as planned…
Little Statue
In a mysterious, ruined world, AI toys awaken-and in the silence of the wreckage, they wonder why they have returned to life
Expire
A New Psychological Documentary About Children
Little Kings & Silent Queens
Majedi Lala, worried about his own and his son's bachelorhood, goes to Mama Shirin's home to meet his four very different daughters. Now the family must decide: which bride is the right choice?