"Buddha Collapsed Out Of Shame", Hana Makhmalbaf’s first feature film will be competing in Toronto and San Sebastian Film Festivals.
Wild Bunch, the film’s international distributor, refused the invitation of Venice’s Critics Week to allow Hana Makhmalbaf’s Buddha to participate in the competition section of Toronto and San Sebastian film festivals.
Hana, now 18 years old has been involved in cinema since age 8. Previously, she worked as continuity, stills photographer and assistant director in Makhmalbaf family films during the last 10 years . She has also published a book of poetry titled "Visa For One Moment" in Iran.
Hana’s first short fiction film " The Day My Aunt Was ill " that she made at age 9 with a digital household camera was accepted in Locarno film festival in 1998 and from there it went to many other international film festivals.
Hana’s second film that she made at age 13 was in fact a behind the scene documentary of the film "At Five in the Afternoon" called "Joy of Madness" and because of its appeal for British and Japanese distributors it was turned into 35 millimeter film and was screened in cinemas in England and Japan. The Joy of Madness was also screened in Venice’s Critics Week in 2004 and won three secondary prizes in that festival among them the youngest filmmaker in the world prize. She who was under 18 at the time was banned from entering the festival auditorium because of restrictions for under age viewers and was unable to watch her film with the audience which created a lot of controversy in the international press.
Hana’s Buddha is about a 6 year old Afghan girl who lives in Bamian’s caves under the Buddha statue that was demolished.
"Buddha Collapsed Out Of Shame" is a co-production by Makhmalbaf Film House and Wild Bunch.
