Ken Loach and Rebecca O’Brien’s Sixteen Films has boarded “Forgotten Spaceman,” a documentary short written, directed and edited by BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Elham Ehsas, with Jack Thomas-O’Brien serving as executive producer, ahead of the film’s festival debut later this year.
The film centers on Abdul Ahad Momand, who traveled to the Mir space station in 1988 as Afghanistan neared collapse – a moment of brief national hope that has since been largely scrubbed from public memory. Ehsas weaves archival footage with personal history to trace that legacy and surface his own connection to Momand’s journey.
“I’m incredibly honored to have Sixteen Films supporting ‘Forgotten Spaceman,’” Ehsas said. “They have built a legacy of telling deeply human stories that too often go unseen, so their belief in this film means a great deal to me. Abdul Ahad Momand’s journey is an extraordinary and largely forgotten piece of Afghan history, and I’m excited for audiences to discover it.”
Thomas-O’Brien, speaking on behalf of Sixteen Films, added: “‘Forgotten Spaceman’ is a deeply moving film about memory, identity and the histories that risk being lost. Elham is an exceptional filmmaker with a distinctive voice, and we were immediately drawn to both the extraordinary true story at the heart of the project and the humanity and sensitivity with which he approaches it. It’s exactly the kind of bold and deeply personal filmmaking we’re proud to support.”
Ehsas is a BAFTA-nominated and Oscar-shortlisted filmmaker whose short “Yellow” received a BAFTA nomination in 2024. His most recent short, “There Will Come Soft Rains,” won Best Film at both Raindance and Encounters Film Festival. His debut feature “Our Kind of Love” is currently in development with the BFI. As an actor, he recently appeared in David Mackenzie’s action thriller “Fuze” and served as second unit director on “The Crown.”
“Forgotten Spaceman” is produced by Lorraine Bhattachary of MonoFilm Productions – Ehsas’ collaborator on “There Will Come Soft Rains” – alongside executive producer Catherine Tschaepe, who previously worked with the filmmaker on “Yellow.”