Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame

Directed by: Hana Makhmalbaf

Afghanistan / 2007 / 81 mins / 35 mm / Farsi with English ST

US Premiere, *Followed by a book reception with Prof. Hamid Dabashi for his recent publication

The beauty and grief of present-day Afghanistan receives epic, poetic treatment from Hana Makhmalbaf, the youngest member of master director Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s remarkable family. Set in Bamian, the actual town where the Taliban’s destruction of cultural treasures sickened the world, the film is a frightening journey into the minds of the children who live in that desolate area – and children affected by violence everywhere. Alittle girl, Baktay just wants to go to school, but she must overcome Herculean obstacles to attend, starting with her family’s extreme poverty and her mother’s indifference.

*Followed by a book reception with Prof. Hamid Dabashi for his recent publication "Makhmalbaf at Large: The Making of a Rebel Filmmaker."