Hassan Fazili chose to document the refugee experience he and his family underwent following a bounty on his head by the Taliban. As a filmmaker Hassan had developed other documentaries up to that point but as a director only. For Midnight Traveler he offered a film that is rather unique since he and his family are the main subjects. With the documentary, he intended to create a new perspective to the refugee narrative as opposed to the journalistic perspective. Hassan chose a raw approach to directing by utilizing three phones to shoot as many moments as he possibly can. The film entails real human feelings and raw emotions that are otherwise limited or abridged in such documentaries.
The film intends the viewer to see more than the distressful moments of refugee families as they seek asylum. Therefore shows instances of the family experiencing a range of emotions that subvert the common narrative in similar documentaries. Basically, to express that this journey across countries with his wife and two daughters is one about family and love despite the moments of despair. He captures real-life complete with blissful and miserable occasions, hopeful and depressing moments, and also heated and calm moments.
Though he includes all the significant occurrences in the journey, Hassan acknowledges the line he had to draw during filmmaking. For instance, he recalls hating himself for prioritizing capturing a moment of panic rather than being a parent. Their full odyssey did not make it all in the film, as they had to filter the minor moments and include onscreen texts for context.
