Afghanistan Bans 'Kite Runner'
Submitted by MagnoliaFan on January 15, 2008 - 2:24pm.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Protests erupted last year after pirate copies of another film, “The Kabul Express,” which was seen as anti-Hazara, made their way into the multiethnic country that is struggling to emerge from decades of invasion and civil war.
The Afghan government, whose power does not extend much beyond the main cities, then banned the film, sending prices of pirated copies soaring.
“On the basis of the instruction of the Information and Culture Ministry, the ‘Kite Runner’ film’s depiction and import has been banned,” Latif Ahmadi, the head of state-run Afghan Film told Reuters late Monday.
“(The film has been banned) because some of its scenes are questionable and unacceptable for some people and would cause sensitiveness and would cause trouble for the government and people,” he added.
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The basis of that
The basis of that really irks me. I still haven’t had a chance to see this film but I’ve heard very, very good things about it (and it did very well at the Chicago International Film Festival). It sounds like they’re censoring free expression for the purposes of control.
I’d like to know exactly why they think this film would “cause sensitivities”. I mean, if films like “Hostel: Part II” make it out clean and clear but films like “The Kite Runner” get banned, something’s off.
NY Times has a write-up,
NY Times has a write-up, too.
Honestly, after they had to delay the release of the movie so those kids could finish school and leave the country peacefully? These are just symptoms of a much more insidious problem — or, more accurately, problems.
And the problems are...
What do you think the real problems are?
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