Directed by Sam French Written by Martin Roe | Produced by Ariel Nasr Music by Jim Dooley | |
Starring Fawad Mohammadi
Jawanmard Paiz
Wali Talash Production
company Afghan Film Project
Development Pictures | ||
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.
Contents
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.
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.