Buzkashi Boys is a 2012 film directed by Sam French, and co-produced in Afghanistan and the United States. It was nominated for the 2013 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.[6][7][8]
| Buzkashi Boys | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Sam French[1] |
| Written by | Martin Desmond Roe[1] |
| Produced by | Ariel Nasr[2] |
| Starring | Fawad Mohammadi[1] Jawanmard Paiz[1] Wali Talash[1] |
| Music by | Jim Dooley[1] |
Production companies | Afghan Film Project[1] Development Pictures |
| Distributed by | ShortsHD[3][4] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 29 minutes |
| Countries | Afghanistan United States |
| Language | Dari |
After being nominated for an Oscar, the film was released along with all the other 15 Oscar-nominated short films in theaters by ShortsHD.[3][4]
Production
editIn the film, Paiz plays a street kid who forms a friendship with a blacksmith’s son, played by Fawad Mohammadi. Mohammadi was a street vendor in real life, selling maps and souvenirs in Kabul. Their roles in the film reversed their real-life circumstances, with the production team casting Mohammadi based on his personality, which aligned with the character of the blacksmith's son.[9] While filming one scene on the streets of Kabul, Paiz was mistaken by a relative for a beggar, as he had dressed in tattered clothing and waved an incense burner for the role.[10][11]
Plot
editFilmed 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.
Accolades
editFilm festival awards
edit- L.A. Shorts Fest – Drama: Best-of Category[12][13][14]
- Raindance Film Festival – Best International Short Film[14][15][16]
- UK Film Festival – Best Cinematography[14][15]
- Evolution International Film Festival – Best Short Film[17]
- Rhode Island International Film Festival – Best Cinematography[18]
- ÉCU The European Independent Film festival – Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Short 2013[19]
Award nominations
editSee also
edit- The Boxing Girls of Kabul, a 2012 documentary directed by Ariel Nasr[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Buzkashi Boys Team". BuzkashiBoys.com. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ a b Oliveira, Michael (17 February 2013). "Afghan teen stars to accompany Canadian Oscar nominee to show". CTV News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ^ a b "Oscar Nominated Short Films 2013". The New York Times. 2013.
- ^ a b "Buzkashi Boys". The New York Times. 2013.
- ^ "Release dates for Buzkashi Boys". IMDb. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ "11 Live Action Shorts Advance in Oscar® Race". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ Goldstein, Caroline (2012-12-22). "Wayne Native's Film to Play at Bryn Mawr Film Institute". RadnorPatch. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ "2013 Oscar Nominees". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ "Shahrukh Khan, Sunny Deol role models of Buzkashi Boys". Khaama Press. 2013.
- ^ "Paiz and Buzkashi Boys: Does Hard Work, or Fate and Coincidence, Create Success?". Voice of America. 2013.
- ^ "Young Afghan actors get ready for the Oscars". USA Today. 2013.
- ^ "BUZKASHI BOYS WINS BEST DRAMA AT LA SHORTSFEST!". Development Pictures. Archived from the original on 2013-02-15. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ "AWARD WINNERS". LA Shorts Fest. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ a b c "Afghan film "Buzkashi Boys" shortlisted for Oscar". British & Irish Agencies Afghanistan Group. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ a b "Screening of "Buzkashi Boys" in Alumni Hall". University of King's College. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ "Buzkashi Boys Makes Oscar Shortlist". 30 November 2012.
- ^ "Winners Palma de Mallorca 2012". Evolution International Film Festival. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ "2012 Film Festival Award Winners Announced". Rhode Island International Film Festival. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ "ECU Filmfestival 2013". Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ^ "Short Film (Live Action) / BUZKASHI BOYS". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ "Oscar Nominations List 2013: Complete Rundown Of Academy Award Nominees". Huffington Post. 2013-01-13. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
External links
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