THE BOY WHO PLAYS ON THE BUDDHAS OF BAMIYAN (2004)
(For Middle East Studies & Cultural Studies Programs)
In 2001, when the Taliban in Afghanistan destroyed the 1600 year-old statues of giant buddhas in Bamiyan, the world was horrified. Just as horrifying, though, is to explore the lives of some of the people who live in Bamiyan, poverty-stricken, sickly peasants who find shelter in the ancient caves carved into the face of the mountains. Meet Mir, eight years old. Mir lives with his parents, his sister and his brother-in-law, and in British director Phil Grabsky's beautiful, painful but ultimately optimistic documentary feature, we follow his footsteps over the course of a year, starting in summer. He seems to be a surprisingly cheerful youngster, given the horrors he's endured and the fact that he lives on the edge of starvation. His father, who looks old enough to be his grandfather, came from a village, from which he was forced to flee. With his livelihood destroyed, he's forced to feed his family on whatever he can find — offal the butcher throws away, stale bread the baker doesn't want.The Taliban are gone, now, and Mir rather likes the Americans, whose choppers patrol the skies above. This is a documentary without narration, in which the images, and the characters, speak for themselves. In many ways it's an outstanding achievement.
(96 min. DVD only Price $89.95 S&H $8.95)
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(For Middle East & Conflict Studies)
The Right to Be Wrong provides a glimpse of modern Israel through the stories of ordinary Israelis and Palestinians. Each story reflects a direct connection to the intense political and cultural conflict. Discover the story of David and Samir, one of coexistence and friendship. It begins in David's car as he drives to Samir's restaurant in Ramia, a local Arab village. Over lunch, Samir discusses his ties to Ramia stemming back to before the state of Israel was born in 1948. His son-in-law Fouad then reveals his precarious position as a Christian Arab working for Americans and Israelis, while his son Jalil talks about his torn identity as a an Israeli Palestinian Arab. Interwoven with David and Samir's story, we also meet Lydia, a British journalist who takes us to the security fence near Jenin and to Um el Fachem, a hotbed of Islamic discontent. There we meet Palestinians as they climb over the wall at Abu Dis, East Jerusalem. Aboard an armored vehicle we journey to Gush Ezyon, an ideological settlement on the West Bank. there Palestinians and Jews discuss the tragedies of suicide bombings while an Israeli bus driver defends his duty to provide a service to his people. We see the passion for peace is present throughout Israel and is forged in a journey to Kansas City, Missouri with David, Samir and Fouad assisting the local community in hosting a "hafla" or coexistence party.
(55 min. DVD only Price $79.95 S&H $8.95
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