Buzkashi Boys

Buzkashi Boys
Directed by Sam French[1]
Produced by Ariel Nasr[2]
Written by Martin Roe[1]
Starring Fawad Mohammadi[1]
Jawanmard Paiz[1]
Wali Talash[1]
Music by Jim Dooley[1]
Production
company
Afghan Film Project[1]
Development Pictures
Distributed by ShortsHD[3][4]
Release dates
  • December 7, 2012 (Santa Fe International Film Festival)

[5]

Country United States
Afghanistan
Language Dari

Buzkashi Boys is a 2012 film, co-produced in Afghanistan and the United States. It was considered and later nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.[6][7][8]

After being nominated for an Academy Award the film was released along with all the other 15 Oscar-nominated short films in theaters by ShortsHD.[3][4]

Plot

Filmed entirely on location in Kabul, Afghanistan, Buzkashi Boys tells the coming of age story of two best friends – a street urchin and a blacksmith’s son - who dream of a better life. Rafi, whose family has long worked in blacksmith trade, bridles under his father's insistence that he follow in his footsteps.

His best friend Ahmad, a penniless orphan, survives by begging for coins in exchange for a puff of incense from his makeshift censer—a tin can swung from a piece of wire. Seeking to escape their destinies, the two friends dream of becoming champion horsemen in Afghanistan's national sport, Buzkashi—a dangerous form of polo played on horseback with a headless goat carcass instead of a ball. When Ahmad decides to steal a horse to prove he can realize his dreams, things spiral out of control and Rafi must come to terms with the reality of his situation.

Set on the harsh and stunning backdrop of Kabul city, Buzkashi Boys is a tale of two boys growing to adulthood in one of the most war torn countries on earth.

Filmed entirely on location in Kabul by an alliance of Afghan and international filmmakers, “Buzkashi Boys” is a look at life that continues beyond the headlines of war in Afghanistan.

Production

The mission of the Afghan Film Project is to provide the resources, experience, and opportunity to produce narrative and documentary films that tell Afghan stories, while training Afghan producers, directors and crews (grips, electrics, cinematographers, etc.) for highly skilled film jobs that build domestic capacity.

Based in Kabul, AFP is made up of internationally recognized film professionals with a passion for Afghanistan and a commitment to sharing their skills with emerging Afghan filmmakers. By partnering with Afghan film professionals to provide hands-on training and experience to local filmmakers in all aspects of film production, AFP aims to foster an environment in which Afghan stories can be told through films of the highest standard for international and domestic audiences.[9][10]

Accolades

Film festival awards

Award nominations

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Buzkashi Boys Team". BuzkashiBoys.com. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Oliveira, Michael (17 February 2013). "Afghan teen stars to accompany Canadian Oscar nominee to show". CTV News (The Canadian Press). Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Oscar Nominated Short Films 2013". The New York Times. 2013.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Buzkashi Boys". The New York Times. 2013.
  5. "Release dates for Buzkashi Boys". IMDb. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  6. "11 Live Action Shorts Advance in Oscar® Race". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  7. Goldstein, Caroline (2012-12-22). "Wayne Native's Film to Play at Bryn Mawr Film Institute". RadnorPatch. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  8. "2013 Oscar Nominees". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  9. "Afghan Film Project Home". AfghanFilmProject.com. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  10. "AfghanFilmProject.com About the Film". AfghanFilmProject.com. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  11. "BUZKASHI BOYS WINS BEST DRAMA AT LA SHORTSFEST!". Development Pictures. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  12. "AWARD WINNERS". LA Shorts Fest. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Afghan film "Buzkashi Boys" shortlisted for Oscar". British & Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  14. 14.0 14.1 "Screening of "Buzkashi Boys" in Alumni Hall". University of King's College. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  15. http://www.raindance.org/buzkashi-boys-makes-oscar-shortlist/
  16. "Winners Palma de Mallorca 2012". Evolution International Film Festival. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  17. "2012 Film Festival Award Winners Announced". Rhode Island International Film Fesitval. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  18. "ECU Filmfestival 2013". Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  19. "Short Film (Live Action) / BUZKASHI BOYS". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  20. "Oscar Nominations List 2013: Complete Rundown Of Academy Award Nominees". Huffington Post. 2013-01-13. Retrieved 10 January 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buzkashi Boys.