Hollywood Meets Washington

It has been a remarkable year for movies.  Life of Pi, Lincoln and Searching for Sugar Man were among my favorites, along with Argo and Buzkashi Boys. In recent days, these two latter films crept into my Washington quotidian in a special way.

I had the opportunity to attend a talk by one of the Americans whose dramatic escape from Iran inspired the movie Argo.  Kathleen Stafford was one of six U.S. Embassy staff who narrowly escaped hostage, and spent 80 days in hiding with Canadians.  Stafford managed to flee Iran posed as a Canadian film crew member.  She recounted her story--which was as nail biting as the movie--and shared details of the fulfilling life that followed, as an artist and in various countries with the Foreign Service.  Stafford amusingly told us how she, too, was holding her breath while watching Argo, hoping they would make it off of Tehran’s tarmac!

Last week, I also attended a special viewing of the Oscar-nominated Afghan short film, Buzkashi Boys.  It was an enchanting tale with talented young actors, as you will see in the trailer.

The main actors, Fawad Mohammadi and Jawanmard Paiz, are now 14 and 15-years-old, respectively.  I had the pleasure to hear them and Buzkashi Boys producer, Ariel Nasr, speak after our viewing of the movie at the Foreign Service Institute.  They toured the country and attended the Academy Awards, returning to Afghanistan the day after I saw them speak.

The boys charmed the audience with their warmth and witty replies to our questions.  Paiz (pictured in the middle) has at a young age already acted in five movies.  When asked how it felt to be on the Red Carpet, he said it was a lifelong dream come true, and playfully added that, "we have many red carpets at my home in Afghanistan!"

Mohammadi (second from left) had a more unusual path to stardom, that began on Kabul's Chicken Street.  This is where he would hang out after school and sell maps to help his family get by.  Through this experience he picked up English and French, and his charismatic personality warmed the hearts of locals and expats alike.  His reputation on Chicken Street was how he got his big break to star in Buzkashi Boys and travel to America.  The boys had a memorable experience in the United States, although they admitted they preferred Hollywood over Washington!

I am often inspired by the power of the human story, how individual lives go global as history and art intermingle.  Argo and Buzkashi Boys made waves well beyond the buzz of the box office.  The best stories always succeed in doing this.