''Buzkashi Boys'' is a 2012 film, co-produced in Afghanistan and the United States. It was nominated for the 2013

Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under various names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, "Best Short Subject, One- ...

. After being nominated for an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

, 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 Buzkashi ( Pashto/ fa, بزکشی, lit=goat pulling) is a traditional Central Asian sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a goat or calf carcass in a goal. It is played primarily in Afghanistan. Similar games are known as kokpar, ...

—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.

Accolades

Film festival awards

* L.A. Shorts Fest – Drama: Best-of Category *

Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove t ...

– Best International Short Film * UK Film Festival – Best Cinematography * Evolution International Film Festival – Best Short Film *

Rhode Island International Film Festival Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) takes place every year in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island as well as satellite locations throughout the state. History Started in 1997, the Festival is produced by Flickers, the ...

– Best Cinematography *

ÉCU The European Independent Film festival ''The European Independent Film Festival'' is an annual international film festival dedicated to independent cinema. Held in Paris, France, it was created in 2006 by Scott Hillier. The festival is dedicated to the discovery and promotion of inde ...

Best Non-European Independent Dramatic Short 2013

Award nominations

85th Academy Awards The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p. ...

–

Best Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under various names, since 1957. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, "Best Short Subject, One- ...

References

External links