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Kite Runner's Child Stars Forced Into Hiding

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It appears that Paramount Pictures didn't foresee the possibility of tribal retaliation in response to the sensitive and likely controversial nature of the film's content. The four local Afghan boys who star in the film have been moved out of Afghanistan to an undisclosed location in the UAE to protect them from potential negative reaction and reprisal when the film is released this month. Paramount is now recognizing their error in judgement, however perhaps they should have been more transparent about the nature of the story in the first place.

"The boys' families have complained they were misled over the controversial rape scene before filming began in a region of China bordering Afghanistan. They say they thought the film was literally about kite-flying. Ahmad Mahmidzada's father has told reporters that they were not told about the scene until shooting was about to begin, and that promises had been made to remove it from the final cut."

I like to think that film companies should cast local people in their films. But definitely they should be completely clear about what the story is about, and be 100% sure that the nature of the script has been understood...ESPECIALLY when it deals with a sensitive issue that has the potential to cause a stir. What do you think about this?
abbym0308

3 responses // Kite Runner's Child Stars Forced Into Hiding

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1Ivdc76nAY
    "They say they thought the film was literally about kite-flying."

    Ooh, were they in for a shock! Some kids having to go into hiding because of a film seems ridiculous and very irresponsible.

    Here's a trailer of the film. It looks heavy but it does look interesting. I'm going to read up on this story more before deciding about going to see it though.
    richjm
  • I loved the book, and to hear about these kids having to go into hiding just makes me sad. I can't believe that anyone would want to target innocent children. And now hearing that Paramount wasn't up-front about the content just makes it all the worse.
    doublexstrike
  • The boys families could be lying, due to fear of being ridiculed or ostracized. I however think it's sad that these boys and their families have to feel in danger due to the boys roles.

    I saw this movie and it was absolutely brilliant. I haven't read the book, but the person I went with did, and she said it was very faithful. As for the rape scene, it wasn't vulgar or graphic, leading me to wonder what the anger would be about. Rape happens all over the world, not just in Afghanistan.
    eddieamador

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