Osama (film)

Osama
American theatrical release poster
Directed by	Siddiq Barmak
Produced by	Julia Fraser Julie Le Brocquy
Written by	Siddiq Barmak
Starring	Marina Golbahari Arif Herati Zubaida Sahar Khwaja Nader
Music by	Mohammad Reza Darvishi
Distributed by	ICA (UK) United Artists (US)
Release date(s)	May 20, 2003 (2003-05-20) (Cannes) 02003-06-27 June 27, 2003
Running time	83 minutes
Country	Afghanistan
Language	Persian

Osama (Persian: أسامة) is a 2003 film made in Afghanistan by Siddiq Barmak. It is about a girl living in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime who disguises herself as a boy, Osama, to support her family. It was the first film to be shot entirely in Afghanistan since 1996, when the Taliban régime banned the creation of all films. The film was an international co-production between companies in Afghanistan, the Netherlands, Japan, Ireland and Iran.

Although the title of the film highlights an allegorical relevance to Osama bin Laden, there is no further similarity.

Plot

A 12-year-old Afghan girl (Marina Golbahari) and her mother (Zubaida Sahar) lose their jobs when the Taliban close the hospital where they work. The Taliban have also forbidden women to leave their houses without a male "legal companion." With her husband and uncle dead, having been killed in battle during the Soviet invasion and their civil wars, there are no men left to support the family. Unable to leave the house without fear of arrest and torture, the mother is left with nowhere to turn. With no other choice and inspired by a story her mother tells about a boy who went under a rainbow and became a girl, she disguises her daughter as a boy named 'Osama'. Osama manages to secure a job at the local chai shop, but 'his' effeminate ways quickly arouse suspicion among the other boys.

Khwaja Nader in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 2006.

Eventually, in a drive to collect soldiers, the local boys, including Osama, are taken from their homes and work by the Taliban to be trained as soldiers. At the training school, they are taught how to fight and conduct ablutions, and Osama realizes it can only be so long before she is found out. Several of the boys begin to pick on her, and eventually her secret is discovered when she menstruates. She is arrested and put on trial but, as this case is without precedent, her life is spared when she is given in marriage to a much older man (Khwaja Nader) who delivered a videotape filmed by a Western journalist who is also being tried. The new husband already has three wives, all of whom hate him and say that he destroyed their lives. They take pity on Osama, but they are powerless to help her. The husband shows Osama the padlocks he uses on his wives and reserves the largest for her. The film ends with the new husband conducting an ablution in an outdoor bath, presumably either just before or immediately after consummating his marriage to Osama.

Cast

• Marina Golbahari - Osama
• Arif Herati - Espandi
• Zubaida Sahar - Mom
• Gol Rahman Ghorbandi
• Mohamad Haref Harat
• Mohamad Nader Khadjeh
• Khwaja Nader
• Hamida Refah

Production

The director has said that Osama was at least partially inspired by a girl he once met, who disguised herself as a boy to attend school.Template:Interview with Director included on DVD It has also been said that this film might have been at least partially inspired by a newspaper report in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban.^{[citation needed]}

The film was shot on location in Kabul, Afghanistan. Work began in June 2002 and was completed in March 2003 with a budget of approximately $46,000 US$. All the actors in the film are amateurs found by the director on the streets of Kabul.

According to Marina, a documentary about actress Marina Golbahari shot concurrently with the film. Osama' was originally titled Rainbow and ended on a hopeful note, with Osama passing under a rainbow and gaining her freedom. As time went on, the director grew dissatisfied with the ending and changed it and cut out other scenes in the film that expressed hope.

Responses

Osama was very well-received by the Western cinematic world. It gathered a rating of 96% based on 100 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, a website which tabulates the reviews from professional film critics into a single rating.^[1]

Awards and nominations

Bratislava International Film Festival (2003)

• Awarded "Special Mention"
• Nominated "Grand Prix for F1"

Cannes Film Festival (2003)

• Awarded "AFCAE Award"
• Awarded "Cannes Junior Award"
• Awarded "Golden Camera - Special Mention"

Cinemanila International Film Festival (2004)

• Awarded "Best Actress" - Marina Golbahari, tied with Katherine Luna for Babae sa Breakwater
• Nominated "Lino Brocka Award"

Golden Globes, USA (2004)

• Awarded "Golden Globe Best Foreign Language Film" - Afghanistan

Golden Satellite Awards (2004)

• Nominated "Golden Satellite Award Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language" - Afghanistan/Iran

Golden Trailer Awards (2004)

• Won "Golden Trailer Best Foreign"

Kerala International Film Festival (2003)

• Won "Audience Award"

London Film Festival (2004)

• Won Sutherland Trophy

Molodist International Film Festival (2003)

• Won "Best Film Award Best Full-Length Fiction Film"
• Won "Best Young Actor Award" - Marina Golbahari

Busan International Film Festival (2003)

• Won "New Currents Award" - Special Mention
• Won "PSB Audience Award", tied with Seontaek

Valladolid International Film Festival (2003)

• Won "Golden Spike," tied with Talaye Sorkh

Young Artist Awards (2004)

• Nominated "Young Artist Award Best International Feature Film"

See also

Film portal

• Cross-dressing in film and television

References

1. ^ "Osama (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/osama/. Retrieved July 14, 2010. 

External links

• Osama at the Internet Movie Database
• Osama at Rotten Tomatoes