I had many motives to return to Afghanistan after 23 years, but one topped the list: visiting the Afghan Film Organization (AFO) and meeting fellow Afghan filmmakers.

I arrived in Kabul April 2004, and spent the first week visiting family. All the while, I yearned to see AFO.

When I reached AFO office, the staff greeted me warmly, even though I didn't have an appointment. I asked for Siddiq Barmak, the director and screenwriter of Osama. I first met Barmak in Berkeley, California, in January, and informed him of my impending trip to Kabul. He happily told me to stop by for a visit.

I was told Barmak was in Turkmenistan, returning the following week, and then leaving for New York City. I left disheartened.

I returned on the day of his arrival. As I entered Barmak's office, he was rummaging through a huge pile of the new issues of Cinema magazine, a monthly digest on Afghan and international cinema, of which he is chief editor. With a wide smile, he invited me to sit. We talked for a short while. I knew he was busy but too polite to say so. I told him I would return tomorrow.

The next day he arrived an hour late. He was asked to attend a filmmakers' function at Lycee Estiqlal, the boys' French curriculum high school. The French director of an important festival addressed the function, proposing to host a retrospective of Afghan cinema in France. Ever since he made Osama, Barmak has become the international representative for Afghan cinema -- a task he fulfills without offending anyone.

He apologized several times for his tardiness and insisted on sharing his lunch with me. In our short meeting, we chatted about our film projects. He introduced me to engineer Latif Ahmadi, the new head of AFO. I found Ahmadi to be kind and forthcoming.

Over the next two days, I had the rare opportunity to see at least 15 films from the AFO archive. These films dated from the late 1960s to new releases. I also met other great filmmakers. They welcomed me, and gave me a great sense of community; it felt like home. At the end of my journey, my mission was accomplished. But I wished I could have stayed longer. Maybe next time.