A father and his young daughter fly kites to protest the Taliban.
Black Kite premiered at TIFF in 2017.
“The brutal rule of the Taliban still casts a pall over most Westerners' perception of Afghanistan. That Tarique Qayumi's new film masterfully recognizes a richer and vastly more complicated history is more than enough to strongly recommend it. But what really makes Black Kite shine is the manner in which the filmmakers have dramatized seismic political shifts.
Black Kite examines the impact of history on one family: how they at once quietly defy it and get swept up in it. The film opens with some beautifully assembled archivalfootage detailing Zahir Shah's attempts to modernize the country, including mandating public education for children. Arian, the son of a kite maker (kiting is a long-time national sport), will be the first in his family to attend school. But Arian is a daydreamer and spends far more time thinking about making kites with his father than studying.
As the years speed past, reforms are repealed and governments grow increasingly oppressive until Arian's obsession is finally outlawed.
Attempting to lift the spirits of his young daughter Seema, Arian (played as an adult by Haji Gul, one of the country's most revered actors) tells her a parable about kites. After much pleading, he finally agrees to let Seema try it (prior to the ban it was usually restricted to men) but only when the moonlight is faintest.
The pair's clandestine hobby soon becomes a kind of resistance, culminating in a bravura and magical sequence. Charged with some fine performances, poignant details, and impassioned neorealist storytelling, Black Kite is a well-timed reminder that resistance begins at home.”
- Steve Gravestock
CREDITS
Animation Director: Kunal Sen
Agency: Good Bad Habits Inc.
Writer / Director: Tarique Qayumi
Producer: Tajana Prka
Executive Producer: Agata Del Sorbo and Engineer Latif Hamedi
Co-Producer: Samir Nasim
Associate Producer: Wais Amiree
Assistant Producer: Masuod Fanayee
Original Score: Naren Chandavarkar and Benedict Taylor
STILLS
PRESS
OFFICIAL TRAILER
Tarique Qayumi is an Afghan-Canadian filmmaker.
Tarique on set in Kabul
He attended undergrad at the school of creative writing at the University of British Columbia and graduate school at UCLA, where he completed his Screenwriting MFA and developed a strong interest in directing.
After graduating in 2010, Qayumi was approached by TOLO TV, the largest television station in Afghanistan, to direct a docudrama series. Driven by two objectives, to get in touch with his roots and to create Afghan-centered stories, Qayumi made the difficult decision to return to Afghanistan
While in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2015 he wrote, directed and produced Truth Unveiled, a sixteen part half-hour docudrama series; Defenders, a six-hour drama miniseries; as well as Afghan version of Sesame Street, season two and three. During this time, he also directed his first feature Targeting in Los Angeles, a psychological-thriller about a female American soldier who returns home from war.
Upon returning to Vancouver, Tarique was one of five chosen from across Canada for the NSI Corus Diverse TV Directing Program.
Black Kite, a historical drama that intermixes animation, documentary, and live action is his second feature. A tale of one man's love of kite flying, told over five decades of political turmoil in Kabul. Qayumi wrote, directed, edited, and shot the film while living there. He received both a grant from Canada Council for the Arts and as well the British Columbia Council for the Arts for Black Kite.
Kunal and Tarique at the World Premiere of Black Kite at TIFF 2017