Black Kite

Black Kite examines the impact of history on one family: how they at once quietly defy it and get swept up in it. The film opens with some beautifully assembled archivalfootage detailing Zahir Shah's attempts to modernize the country, including mandating public education for children. Arian, the son of a kite maker (kiting is a long-time national sport), will be the first in his family to attend school. But Arian is a daydreamer and spends far more time thinking about making kites with his father than studying. As the years speed past, reforms are repealed and governments grow increasingly oppressive until Arian's obsession is finally outlawed. (Toronto International Film Festival)