What Do The Critics Say?

"A completely captivating and powerful moviegoing experience, a heartwrenching but redemptive story that deftly intertwines the personal and the political." Rob Thomas CAPITAL TIMES "A sweet and masterful story of survival, transcendence, loyalty and friendship told with striking cinematography. A spiritual piece of work." Ron Wilkinson MONSTERS AND CRITICS "The Kite Runner is dramatically and visually sumptuous." Jonathan F Richards FILM.COM "The Kite Runner is a compelling and uplifting tale that exposes the viewer to an unfamiliar, fascinating culture and a family dynamic that is recognizable and nuanced." Claudia Puig USA TODAY "Alternately chilling and thrilling, The Kite Runner tugs at some emotional strings not often yanked with such frankness." Larry Ratliff SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS "All the performances are excellent. This is a beautiful film that delivers in every way. It's about boys who don't need to chase shadows and men who want to relive the joy of that colourful kite's magical dance in the heavens." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE

"The movie has two extraordinary characters and performances. Non-pro Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada breaks your heart as the innocent, wide-eyed child Hassan, and Homayoun Ershadi makes Amir's father a model of intuitive decency." Jack Mathews NEW YORK DAILY NEWS "Both tender and brutal, the sweeping story touches upon such lofty themes as religious fundamentalism, the ravages of war and the overwhelmingly desolate nature of regret." Donald Munro FRESNO BEE "This is one of those stories that, on some primal level, goes straight to the heart." Peter Rainer CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR "It boasts one of the best performances by a child actor, ever." Bill Goodykoontz ARIZONA REPUBLIC "A positive and uplifting story about the kind of interpersonal loyalty that not even a terrorist organization can destroy." Mike McGranaghan AISLE SEATS "How long has it been since you saw a movie that succeeds as pure story? That doesn't depend on stars, effects or genres, but simply fascinates you with how it will turn out?" Roger Ebert CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

The Inside Story In 2003, Khaled Hosseini’s "The Kite Runner" came out of nowhere as a debut novel and quickly shot to the top of best-seller lists around the globe, where it still remains four years later. A story suffused with the culture of Afghanistan, the remote, war-torn country that, for decades, has been seen only as hotspot of global conflict, it seemed an unlikely candidate for such stratospheric success. Yet, with its universal themes of family bonds, childhood friendship, the courage of forgiveness and the salvation only to be found in love, the story deeply touched people from every cultural and social background. Written by a physician born in Afghanistan who, like his lead character, left Afghanistan for America as a boy and didn’t return for decades, "The Kite Runner" took readers on a journey, across continents, into one man’s quest to right a terrible wrong that haunted him all his life. Deftly weaving the personal with the political, Hosseini forged a tale as rife with suspense as it was with intensity of feeling. Though the story was fictional, Hosseini’s intimate knowledge of growing up in Kabul when it was “the pearl of Central Asia,” before the Soviet Invasion and the rise of the Taliban, as well as his experiences emigrating as a young man to America, lent his story an authenticity and humanity that deeply affected readers. The novel sold over eight million copies in more than 34 countries, leaping borders with the power of its storytelling. "I’m continually astonished by how people have reacted to my novel," says Hosseini, "but I think it must be because there is a very intense emotional core to this story that people connect with. The themes; of guilt, friendship, forgiveness, loss, the desire for atonement and to be better than who you think you are; are not Afghan themes but very human experiences, regardless of one's ethnic, cultural or religious background." It was these themes, long before the book had ever attained international best-seller status (in fact when it was merely an obscure and as yet unpublished manuscript) that drew the attention of producers William Horberg ("Death at a Funeral") and Rebecca Yeldham ("The Motorcycle Diaries"). "It was one of the most powerful and cinematic pieces of literature that I had ever read. It was magical," says Yeldham. "We were so in love with it that we couldn’t imagine it not getting made. It’s a story that’s told in the most lyrical, evocative and beautiful way, one that lends itself to a visual interpretation; as you’re reading, you literally see its events unfold." "Reading The Kite Runner was a wonderful experience. The story has such a strong emotional hook with its central idea that, no matter what you’ve done in the past, there's a way to be good again. It draws you in as a reader and taps into the secrets and scars that we all have in our history," adds Horberg. "I found it to be an incredibly moving experience and one that promised a lot of potential as a movie." Horberg and Yeldham brought the Kite Runner to the attention of Golden Satellite Award winner Walter Parkes ("Men In Black") and Laurie MacDonald ("Catch Me If You Can"), who were then beginning their transition from co-heads of production at DreamWorks to independent producers. The filmmakers enlisted author Khaled Hosseini as an active partner in transforming the novel into a film, making sure he remained on the inside of the entire creative process. "Khaled was our ambassador into this world which none of us were from," Horberg explained. With the film in mid-development, Horberg and Yeldham left DreamWorks in 2005. Horberg joined Sidney Kimmel Entertainment (SKE), which has a reputation for working with esteemed filmmaking talent and high quality stories. Jeff Skoll ("Good Night, and Good Luck") of Participant Productions, the fast-moving young company whose motto is "changing the world one story at a time", was another early and passionate fan of the book, and now joined with SKE as co-financiers. In the midst of all this, the book burst onto bookstore shelves with an unexpected force, turning the novel into a cultural phenomenon, as it spread like wildfire from the hands of one exhilarated reader to the next. The critics were equally impressed. As Before Columbus Foundation Award winning writer Isabel Allende summarized of the novel: "It is so powerful that for a long time everything I read after seemed bland." Screenwriter and novelist David Benioff (author of the novel, 25th Hour) was brought onboard to morph the four hundred page novel into a taut, riveting script and structure it in a vivid new form. "Everyone was very open to different ideas and angles, but the one commonality we all shared was a desire to do justice to Khaled’s beautiful story and to try to retain as much of the book’s humanity and spirit as possible," says Benioff. Benioff utilized Hosseini in myriad ways while creating the adaptation. "Khaled could not have been more generous with his time and expertise, answering all my questions about life in Afghanistan," he recalled. "I grew up in New York City and a Kabul childhood was very far from my own experience, yet Khaled clarified any moments I found confusing." Khaled Hosseini was ultimately very impressed with how the screenwriter re-invented his story as a cinematic experience. "My hat is off to David," says Hosseini. "He had a job cut out for him." And his thoughts when he read the finished script? "This is going to be a beautiful movie," he said. The next person brought to the project was director Marc Forster ("Everything Put Together"). Forster was chosen largely because he has brought a lyricism and humanity to every film he has made, no matter what the genre. It quickly became clear that Forster had the deep affinity for the material the producers were seeking. "In his fearless way, Marc had no qualms about making a movie about a culture that is not his own," notes Yeldham. "He embraced obstacles that would have unhinged others." "I just fell in love with this story," the Venice Film Festival Award winner said. "Reading the book was such an emotional and beautiful experience that I knew right away I wanted to be involved." Forster and Hosseini forged a great kinship. "He spoke to me with such passion, integrity and honesty about the book, and he told me how fearful he was of not doing justice to it and me. But I was not worried because I saw how enamored he was with the story, how completely invested in it he was and, watching him on the set, I saw how talented he is," Hosseini notes. It was Forsters decision to shoot the film in the English and Dari languages. "When Marc said he was going to shoot the film in Dari, it won me over," Hosseini said. There are also a few lines in Pashto, a language spoken by the Taliban; and the Pakistani language, Urdu. To ensure authenticity, the filmmakers hired a team of native Dari speakers who coached the non-native actors on pronunciation and inflection, and were on set each day to make sure lines were spoken just as they would be in Kabul. On the fly translations on the set were handled by Ilham Hosseini, a UC Berkeley Law School student who is also the younger cousin of Khaled Hosseini. When it came time to cast the film, Forster was determined to cast the book’s beloved characters with as much realism and integrity as possible. This was especially true when it came to casting the two boys: one privileged (Amir) and the other from the servant class (Hassan). Forster knew he needed to find two extraordinary young actors who could truly understand Amir and Hassan’s cultural background. London-based casting agent Kate Dowd ("National Treasure: Book of Secrets") was given the task. What Forster didn't realize was that "it would mean going to Kabul." Producer E Bennett Walsh ("Kill Bill: Vol 1 & 2") was instrumental in organizing Dowd’s trip to Afghanistan and making many of the introductions to lead her on her quest. Dowd searched schools, orphanages and even the playgrounds of bomb-shattered Kabul for the ideal Amir, Hassan and also Hassan’s eventual son, Sohrab. Dowd found some promising candidates for the roles and Forster was invited to make the final decision in Kabul. The first thing Forster did with the local Afghan children was take them outside to fly kites, to see them in a relaxed, playful, outgoing state of mind. It was then that he made his final casting decisions. Zekiria Ebrahami, a fifth grader whom Dowd uncovered in the local French Lycée, would play Amir. Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada and Ali Danesh Bakhtyari, who were both found through ARO, the Afghan Relief Organization, would play Hassan and Sohrab. Those who see "The Kite Runner" will agree that these young boys give incredible performances belying their ages and experience. "When I first met Zekiria, he was very shy and didn't say much," recalls Forster. "But there was something in his demeanor that was intriguing to me, a bit of a sadness somewhere. His father was killed before he was born, and his mother abandoned him." "Ahmad had an unbelievable spirit of life, a fighting spirit of sorts," he said. "He had energy and vitality and conveyed a sense of not being afraid of anything, of being willing to take a big bite out of life." "Ali Danesh made me very emotional just looking at him. He has an incredible warmth and beauty and yet there is a distance you feel with him," Forster offered. William Horbergrecalls, "everyone who saw the boys knew right away he was right. Now we had a movie." Hosseini was equally pleased with the casting selections. "Ahmad Khan who plays Hassan, is like a little man in a boy’s body and has this luminous face. Zekiria, who plays Amir, has a fragile, wounded quality about him that is just beneath the surface yet shines through every once in a while. Danesh, who plays Sohrab, really impressed me with his intelligence and professionalism. Between takes, he is a playful and mischievous young boy who likes to goof around and play practical jokes." After three months of extensive negotiations and multiple meetings with government departments over endless cups of tea, everything finally came together and travel passports were issued for the boys. Those who think the film and book are sensational would find the making of the film just as fascinating a story. Synopsis

Based one on of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, The Kite Runner is a profoundly emotional tale of friendship, family, devastating mistakes and redeeming love. In a divided country on the verge of war, two childhood friends are about to be torn apart forever. It’s a glorious afternoon in Kabul and the skies are bursting with the exhilarating joy of a kite-fighting tournament. But in the aftermath of the day’s victory, one boy’s fearful act of betrayal will mark their lives forever and set in motion an epic quest for redemption. What should be a joyous celebration for Amir is destroyed when Hassan is violently raped and Amir fails to intervene. Now, after twenty years of living in America, Amir returns to a perilous Afghanistan under the Taliban’s iron-fisted rule to face the secrets that still haunt him and take one last daring chance to set things right, even if it means risking his life by doing so.

The Verdict "One of the most profoundly haunting stories in recent times, "The Kite Runner" is a beautiful and exhilerating film tinged with scenes of betrayal and darkness that will leave you feeling as though your heart has been ripped out. That is, until it reaches those final, triumphant, closing scenes where it lifts one's spirit to the same dizzying heights attained by the kites that once soared to over the city of Kabul. "The Kite Runner" is based on one of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory by and was written by Khaled Hosseini who was born in Afghanistan and later fled the country during the Russian Armed Forces invasion. He and his family received political asylum in the USA in 1980. Hosseini is a doctor who lives in California and is the author of "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns". While the adult cast members all do extremely well in their respective roles, it is the two boy actors, and in particular Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada (after school he works with his father in a sweets shop), who steals the show. I doubt many cinemagoers will deny, after seeing this emotive, richly shot film, that Mahmoodzada gives one of the most remarkable performances by a child in a long time. The film is magnificently underscored by the music of seven time Goya Award winner and World Soundtrack Award winner (Soundtrack Composer of the Year), Alberto Iglesias. For full impact you must see it on the bigscreen! Highly commendable. 5 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "THE KITE RUNNER" stars .......
Khalid Abdalla ["United 93"]; Atossa Leoni ["America So Beautiful" and "The Florist"]; Qadir Farookh ["Nelofar In The Rain" and "Hot, Hot Autumn Of Kabul"]; Nasser Memarzia ["Millions", "Kingdom Of Heaven" and "Munich"]; Saïd Taghmaoui ["Three Kings", "The Good Thief" and "Hildago"] and Shaun Toub ["Bad Boys", "Broken Arrow", "Underground", "Crash" and "The Nativity Story"] as Rahim Kahn.
"THE KITE RUNNER" was .......
directed by Marc Forster ["Monster's Ball", "Finding Neverland" and "Stranger Than Fiction"]; screenplay by David Benioff ["25th Hour", "Troy" and "Stay"]; casting by Kate Dowd ["The Beach", "The Mummy Returns", "Finding Neverland" and "Rendition"]; costume design by Frank L Fleming ["Monster's Ball", "The Woodsman" and "Stranger Than Fiction"]; production design by Carlos Conti ["Wild Orchid", "The Motorcycle Diaries", "Yes" and "Me and My Sister"]; edited by Matt Chesse ["Finding Neverland", "Monster's Ball", "Stay" and "Stranger Than Fiction"]; cinematography by Roberto Schaefer ["Waiting for Guffman", "Best In Show", "Finding Neverland" and "Stranger Than Fiction"]; original music by 2006 Cannes Film Festival Prix France Musique Award winner Alberto Iglesias ["La Mala educación", "Monster's Ball", "The Dancer Upstairs", "Volver" and "The Constant Gardener"]. Who's Who?

Khalid Abdalla Atossa Leoni Shaun Toub Sayed Jafar Masihullah Gharibzada Zekeria Ebrahimi Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada Mir Mahmood Shah Hashimi Homayoun Ershadi Nabi Tanha Elham Ehsas Bahram Ehsas Tamim Nawabi Mohamad Nabi Attai Mohamad Nadir Sarwari Mustafa Haidari Ahmad Yasar Shir Agha Mohammad Aman Joya Abdul Azim Wahabzada Vsevolod Bardashev Sayed Miran Farhad Murina Abudukelimu Igor Radchenko Larry Brown L Peter Callender Jesse Robertson

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Amir Soraya Rahim Kahn Omar Young Amir Young Hassan Business Man in Baba's Study Baba Ali Young Assef Wali Kamal Uncle Saifo the Kite Seller Spice Merchant Party Worker Birthday Singer Mahmood Karim Soviet Union Soldier Burly Man in Truck Young Wife in Truck Soviet Union Officer Gas Station Customer Dean of Students Man at Bar

Run Time 128 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - Paramount Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.