Hewad, a nine-year-old boy, supports his family by selling goods from a cart on the harsh streets of Kabul after the death of his father. At home he is also facing the challenge of the forced marriage of his mother to his uncle. He dreams of escaping his war-torn poverty existence by becoming a rich and famous actor, taking care of his mum himself and buying his family a fancy new house. An Australian photojournalist befriends Hewad and starts documenting his life in order to depict an empathetic image of the children of this war-torn society. Inspired by this, Hewad sets out to enlist his friends to help create an imaginary Hollywood style action film.

"When Pomegranates Howl" is an Afghan-Australian feature film. Shot on location in Kabul, Afghanistan, the story is inspired by real people and true events.

The film was nominated by Australia for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.