The Boy Who Plays On the Buddhas of Bamiyan

For over 25 years, Afghanistan has been at war. In March 2001, the ruling Taliban destroyed the tallest stone statues in the world, the 'Buddhas of Bamiyan'. One of the refugees who now lives among the ruins is an eight-year-old boy called Mir. This astonishingly intimate film explores the lives of Mir and his family. Through summer, winter and spring we follow Mir's adventures as he gets into the kind of fun and mischief of any 8-year-old boy, against the magnificent backdrop of Bamiyan and its ruined statues. As Mir grows, the adults around him reveal what life has been like over the past two decades, a period in which hundreds of thousands of children like Mir have been killed. Phil Grabsky's film is a unique portrait of everyday life in modern Afghanistan. From the makers of 'In Search of Mozart' & 'Half Life: a Journey to Chernobyl'. Winner of awards: Gold Hugo, cinematography and editing, Chicago Television Awards, Best Documentary at the Valladolid International Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival and Royal Television Society.