England / Afghanistan,
2003, 96 min
Shown in 2004
CREDITS
- dir
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Phil Grabsky
- prod
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Amanda Wilkie
- cam
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Phil Grabsky
- editor
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Phil Reynolds
- mus
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Dimitri Tchamouroff
- source
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WORLD SALES Seventh Art Productions, 63 Ship St., BN11AE Brighton East Surrey, UK. FAX: 44-127-332-3777. EMAIL: broberts@seventh-art.com.
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COMMENTS
Phil Grabsky in person.
OTHER
The 1,600-year-old Buddhas carved into the pale cliffs adjoining Afghanistan’s picturesque Bamiyan valley were the world’s tallest stone statues until the Taliban destroyed them in 2001. The town was devastated as well, and many residents resorted to living in caves that surround the former statues. One such resident is Mir Hussain, a sassy, smiling eight-year-old boy who is the focus of Phil Grabsky's insightful documentary. Mir lives with his aging parents, sister, and brother-in-law; the family (barely) survives on rice, stale bread and rancid meat and shivers through frigid winters. Despite the savage circumstances, though, what’s amazing is how Mir comes off as just a normal, growing kid—playing games, taunting friends and family, doing chores and attending school. Grabsky's done an incredible job matter-of-factly focusing on the family’s stark, daily existence, while keeping headline topics—stories of Taliban brutality, images of newly arrived American tanks and choppers—hovering in the backdrop. Quiet landscape shots act as meditative interludes, emphasizing both the stunning beauty and the hardship inherent in this land and culture. The film is a powerful achievement, offering a rare glimpse into a troubled but fascinating world that, believe it or not, is still infused with hope.
—Kurt Wolff
FACTOID #49
Some of the filmmakers whose works screened in our New Directors series include Cinda Firestone, Susan Sontag, Shu Shuen, Conrad Rooks, Shirley Clarke, Sandro Franchina, and Mitsuo Yanagimachi. This series, which began in 1965, was a predecessor to the New Directors series at Lincoln Center, which started in 1971.
