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| Buzkashi Boys shoots for Oscar with tale of Afghan child dreamers | Buzkashi Boys shoots for Oscar with tale of Afghan child dreamers |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| When a horrified relative saw Jawanmard Paiz begging on the streets of Kabul, dressed in rags and waving an incense burner over cars in return for small change, he came rushing to ask what disaster had befallen the boy's family. | When a horrified relative saw Jawanmard Paiz begging on the streets of Kabul, dressed in rags and waving an incense burner over cars in return for small change, he came rushing to ask what disaster had befallen the boy's family. |
| Paiz was born into Kabul's small but growing middle class: his father and uncle are well-known actors and his brothers have followed them into cinema. At 11, the baby of the family was supposed to be at school, not scrabbling for money. | Paiz was born into Kabul's small but growing middle class: his father and uncle are well-known actors and his brothers have followed them into cinema. At 11, the baby of the family was supposed to be at school, not scrabbling for money. |
| He was, however, thrilled by the question – it proved that his performance was convincing. He was deep in character for a film now nominated for an Oscar, the first time any work shot in Afghanistan has come this close to Hollywood's highest honour. | He was, however, thrilled by the question – it proved that his performance was convincing. He was deep in character for a film now nominated for an Oscar, the first time any work shot in Afghanistan has come this close to Hollywood's highest honour. |
| Buzkashi Boys is the story of two children from different backgrounds, who forge an unlikely friendship based around their affection for the uniquely Afghan sport of buzkashi. The game is sometimes described as polo played with the carcass of a goat instead of a ball, although that hardly does justice to the frantic and dangerous scrum that some claim was invented by Ghenghis Khan to keep his fierce horsemen fit in winter. | Buzkashi Boys is the story of two children from different backgrounds, who forge an unlikely friendship based around their affection for the uniquely Afghan sport of buzkashi. The game is sometimes described as polo played with the carcass of a goat instead of a ball, although that hardly does justice to the frantic and dangerous scrum that some claim was invented by Ghenghis Khan to keep his fierce horsemen fit in winter. |
| Paiz plays a fearless street kid, full of bravado and dreams, who befriends the more prosperous and timid son of a blacksmith as they hover on the cusp of adolescence. | Paiz plays a fearless street kid, full of bravado and dreams, who befriends the more prosperous and timid son of a blacksmith as they hover on the cusp of adolescence. |
| Both are mesmerised by buzkashi, and sneak into a stadium together to watch the thundering riders, and trade hopes that one day they might join the melee. | Both are mesmerised by buzkashi, and sneak into a stadium together to watch the thundering riders, and trade hopes that one day they might join the melee. |
| "One thing we really wanted to do from the very beginning is tell a universal story that people can relate to, because for a lot of people Afghanistan is a strange land – but everyone has come of age, everyone has grown up," said the director, Sam French, who also co-wrote the screenplay. | "One thing we really wanted to do from the very beginning is tell a universal story that people can relate to, because for a lot of people Afghanistan is a strange land – but everyone has come of age, everyone has grown up," said the director, Sam French, who also co-wrote the screenplay. |
| But making the film – which is in the Dari language – involved overcoming huge challenges in a country where theatre and film were banned by the Taliban and even today are still considered unIslamic by many. Paiz – who had previously won praise for his portrayal as the victim of a suicide bombing – is the country's only experienced child actor, but the script demanded two boys. | But making the film – which is in the Dari language – involved overcoming huge challenges in a country where theatre and film were banned by the Taliban and even today are still considered unIslamic by many. Paiz – who had previously won praise for his portrayal as the victim of a suicide bombing – is the country's only experienced child actor, but the script demanded two boys. |
| In a twist of fate, the richer character ended up being played by a real street kid, Fawad Mohammadi, who the production team had known for years selling maps and trinkets to foreigners on Chicken Street, a row of stores that is the closest thing Kabul has to a tourist trap. | In a twist of fate, the richer character ended up being played by a real street kid, Fawad Mohammadi, who the production team had known for years selling maps and trinkets to foreigners on Chicken Street, a row of stores that is the closest thing Kabul has to a tourist trap. |
| He won the role largely because the production team felt his personality matched that of the shy, generous blacksmith's son . "He's a gentle soul," said Mina Sharif, the Canadian-Afghan production co-ordinator who was the only woman on the film crew, and will be chaperoning the two child stars to the Academy Awards. | He won the role largely because the production team felt his personality matched that of the shy, generous blacksmith's son . "He's a gentle soul," said Mina Sharif, the Canadian-Afghan production co-ordinator who was the only woman on the film crew, and will be chaperoning the two child stars to the Academy Awards. |
| Their onscreen reversal of real-life roles – and the prospect of shared Hollywood glory – has bound the two boys, now both teenagers, across class lines in a way that is unusual for Afghanistan. "I made 80 afs (afghanis, about £1), that I've kept as a souvenir," said Paiz of his time chasing pennies in Kabul's clogged traffic. | Their onscreen reversal of real-life roles – and the prospect of shared Hollywood glory – has bound the two boys, now both teenagers, across class lines in a way that is unusual for Afghanistan. "I made 80 afs (afghanis, about £1), that I've kept as a souvenir," said Paiz of his time chasing pennies in Kabul's clogged traffic. |
| "I want my cut of that," jumped in Mohammadi with a smile, although thanks to his earnings from Buzkashi Boys he is thriving at a private school and has been largely off the streets for two years, returning to his old haunts at the weekends only to earn a bit of extra cash for his widowed mother. | "I want my cut of that," jumped in Mohammadi with a smile, although thanks to his earnings from Buzkashi Boys he is thriving at a private school and has been largely off the streets for two years, returning to his old haunts at the weekends only to earn a bit of extra cash for his widowed mother. |
| Mohammadi, now 14, has always wanted to become a pilot, but admits to being a little distracted by the glamour of silver screen success. "I really hope when we fly to the US, that I can go and visit the pilot in the cockpit," he said. "But I want to be an actor first, and then become a pilot." | Mohammadi, now 14, has always wanted to become a pilot, but admits to being a little distracted by the glamour of silver screen success. "I really hope when we fly to the US, that I can go and visit the pilot in the cockpit," he said. "But I want to be an actor first, and then become a pilot." |
| Paiz is more firm about his future plans, listing Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt and Al Pacino as his inspirations and dreaming of acting in more "western-style" films, which he says he much prefers to the features churned out by Afghanistan's ultra-low budget Bollywood-inspired domestic industry. "I like the quality, the realism, the professionalism. And they have better stories," he said. | Paiz is more firm about his future plans, listing Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt and Al Pacino as his inspirations and dreaming of acting in more "western-style" films, which he says he much prefers to the features churned out by Afghanistan's ultra-low budget Bollywood-inspired domestic industry. "I like the quality, the realism, the professionalism. And they have better stories," he said. |
| Few Hollywood film crews have to deal with the challenges of working in a country still wracked by violence and insecurity. Safety concerns meant that Buzkashi Boys took nearly a year in pre-production, far longer than what would be spent on a similar length film in the US. | Few Hollywood film crews have to deal with the challenges of working in a country still wracked by violence and insecurity. Safety concerns meant that Buzkashi Boys took nearly a year in pre-production, far longer than what would be spent on a similar length film in the US. |
| "It takes a lot of time and patience to form relationships that work in an insecure and constantly changing environment like Afghanistan," said producer Ariel Nasr. "People expect you to do one thing and say another. Or to leave and never come back. So it is up to you to prove otherwise." | "It takes a lot of time and patience to form relationships that work in an insecure and constantly changing environment like Afghanistan," said producer Ariel Nasr. "People expect you to do one thing and say another. Or to leave and never come back. So it is up to you to prove otherwise." |
| The crew – including cinematographer Duraid Munajim, feted for his work on Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker – volunteered for minimal pay and each helped mentor an Afghan counterpart during the two-week shoot. | The crew – including cinematographer Duraid Munajim, feted for his work on Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker – volunteered for minimal pay and each helped mentor an Afghan counterpart during the two-week shoot. |
| Getting the crew in place was just the start of their worries. The evening they arrived, a producer got a call from the office of the powerful sponsor of Kabul's main buzkashi players, who had decided to end the season early – the next day. | Getting the crew in place was just the start of their worries. The evening they arrived, a producer got a call from the office of the powerful sponsor of Kabul's main buzkashi players, who had decided to end the season early – the next day. |
| They scrambled the team to shoot, only to find the city was blanketed in snow. | They scrambled the team to shoot, only to find the city was blanketed in snow. |
| "We woke up in the morning and it was the biggest blizzard ever in Afghanistan. We had to change script because we had planned to shoot over two days, and if we did that it wouldn't have matched," French said. "That happened throughout production." | "We woke up in the morning and it was the biggest blizzard ever in Afghanistan. We had to change script because we had planned to shoot over two days, and if we did that it wouldn't have matched," French said. "That happened throughout production." |
| Then a scrapyard where the remains of Kabul's battle-scarred old buses had been slowly rusting for over a decade – the location for a critical scene – was sold to a Pakistani company that planned to cart the contents away for scrap the very next day, but after much pleading were persuaded to wait a week. | Then a scrapyard where the remains of Kabul's battle-scarred old buses had been slowly rusting for over a decade – the location for a critical scene – was sold to a Pakistani company that planned to cart the contents away for scrap the very next day, but after much pleading were persuaded to wait a week. |
| The team rewrote the script, carried on and at the end of a fortnight of 18-hour days, finally realised they had managed to pull off the almost impossible, French said. "The moment towards the end of the filming, when we had most of it in the can, we climbed to the top of a bombed-out palace to shoot a scene and [the two boys] were shouting defiance into the wind. That's when I collapsed into a chair and knew we had something." | The team rewrote the script, carried on and at the end of a fortnight of 18-hour days, finally realised they had managed to pull off the almost impossible, French said. "The moment towards the end of the filming, when we had most of it in the can, we climbed to the top of a bombed-out palace to shoot a scene and [the two boys] were shouting defiance into the wind. That's when I collapsed into a chair and knew we had something." |
| A beginner's guide to buzkashi | A beginner's guide to buzkashi |
| To start a game of buzkashi, you need a headless, legless animal corpse – known as the "buz". A goat can be used, though a calf is often preferred. | To start a game of buzkashi, you need a headless, legless animal corpse – known as the "buz". A goat can be used, though a calf is often preferred. |
| It is usually soaked in water overnight to make it tougher and can even be packed with sand to make it heavier – it can weigh more than 60kg (132lb). | It is usually soaked in water overnight to make it tougher and can even be packed with sand to make it heavier – it can weigh more than 60kg (132lb). |
| A white circle is marked on the field and the carcass is placed in there. When the action begins, players on horseback race to pick it up, gallop round a marker at the end of the field and then back to drop it in the circle, which sounds simpler than it is. | A white circle is marked on the field and the carcass is placed in there. When the action begins, players on horseback race to pick it up, gallop round a marker at the end of the field and then back to drop it in the circle, which sounds simpler than it is. |
| The man who has possession (there are no reports of female buzkashi riders) is supposed to hold the carcass with his arms or legs, rather than strapping it over his saddle or to his body, a feat of strength on its own and one reason that a rider – known as a chapandaz – is generally considered to only peak in his 40s. | The man who has possession (there are no reports of female buzkashi riders) is supposed to hold the carcass with his arms or legs, rather than strapping it over his saddle or to his body, a feat of strength on its own and one reason that a rider – known as a chapandaz – is generally considered to only peak in his 40s. |
| As he gallops down the field, the chapandaz in possession of the buz is chased and harassed by dozens of others. They have whips for the horses, that are not supposed to be used against other riders, but in the melee it can be hard to tell where they fall and rules are rarely strictly enforced. | As he gallops down the field, the chapandaz in possession of the buz is chased and harassed by dozens of others. They have whips for the horses, that are not supposed to be used against other riders, but in the melee it can be hard to tell where they fall and rules are rarely strictly enforced. |
| Buzkashi can be played as an individual game, and traditional matches on the plains north of Kabul can stretch for kilometres. A more formalised version of the game is played in large stadiums, like one in Kabul supported by vice-president Mohammad Fahim. | Buzkashi can be played as an individual game, and traditional matches on the plains north of Kabul can stretch for kilometres. A more formalised version of the game is played in large stadiums, like one in Kabul supported by vice-president Mohammad Fahim. |
| Buzkashi has drawn the corporate sponsors that flock to popular sports worldwide; Emirati mobile phone company Etisalat has a huge billboard in its downtown office advertising its support for one team. At a buzkashi match in Kabul, rich businessmen and politicians wave $100 bills that they often shower on the winners of each round, but the riders mostly grew up in the countryside. | Buzkashi has drawn the corporate sponsors that flock to popular sports worldwide; Emirati mobile phone company Etisalat has a huge billboard in its downtown office advertising its support for one team. At a buzkashi match in Kabul, rich businessmen and politicians wave $100 bills that they often shower on the winners of each round, but the riders mostly grew up in the countryside. |
| One of the country's best players, rewarded with a house and a government job in the off-season by a powerful patron, told me he wanted his children to be doctors and engineers when they grew up, and had enrolled them at elite private schools so they could work on their grades rather than horseback skills. | One of the country's best players, rewarded with a house and a government job in the off-season by a powerful patron, told me he wanted his children to be doctors and engineers when they grew up, and had enrolled them at elite private schools so they could work on their grades rather than horseback skills. |
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