Locally-born, Kabul-based Oscar nominated filmmaker Sam French

Locally-born-and-raised filmmaker SAM FRENCH just arrived back in the States after taking three planes, which took 30 hours from Kabul, Afghanistan. He’s been making films there for four years, and the film he co-wrote and directed, Buzkashi Boys, is a short-list nominee for a 2012 Academy Award as part of the “live action short film” category. Since the Taliban outlawed movie theaters (along with many other cultural expressions) in the late 90s, films have been coming back with the U.S. invasion, and French is one of many ex-pats who are living outside the military compounds rebuilding the arts community. French is the President and Founder of Development Pictures, a multi-media production company that works with news and aid organizations, and Founding Board Member of the Afghan Film Project, a non-profit that pairs young, aspiring Afghan filmmakers with international film professionals. Sam French is also the Executive Producer of Development Pictures’ “Kabul at Work,” which profiles Kabul-dwellers on Afghan television with titles like, “Who is the Rubbish Recycler?,” “Who is the Police Commando?,” and “Who is the Checkpoint Guard?”

http://www.buzkashiboys.com/