FESTIVALS: *Belfast Film Festival (Northern Ireland.) * Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival (New York, NY, USA) * EIDF (Seoul, South Korea) * Santa Barbara International Film Festival (USA) * Festival International Jean Rouch (Paris, France) * Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (Hot Springs, USA) * Mountain Film Festival / IMFFD (Črni Kal, Slovenia) * Mizan Muslim World Film Festival (Bandung, Indonesia) * KF - EIDF: Documentary Films on Space (Seoul, South Korea) * Belfast AWARDS: * EIDF 2013 Special Jury Award | Buzkashi
In Tajikistan’s majestic Pamir mountains, horse riders battle in a centuries-old sport that pits individual riders against one another. Azam, a successful shepherd and Buzkashi champion, is experiencing drastic change. At home, his son prefers to study medicine than take over his father’s flock. On the field, Azam plays for honour and integrity but his main rival, Khurshed, threatens to change the game forever by using his seemingly infinite wealth to employ teammates in organized mafia-style alliances. Sports documentaries have a powerful capacity to combine emotional, physical and cultural elements into unforgettable cinematic moments, and director Najeeb Mirza brings us into a world of underdogs and villains from a nation on the cusp of dramatic transformation. From the chaotic, brutal action of the game to the serenity of the quiet hillsides, we follow a man shaped by tradition, now forced to face the modern world that surrounds him. PRESS IMAGES: (click to preview) 
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