The Kite Runner (Film)

The Kite Runner is an American film based on Khaled Hosseini's book of the same name. The film tells the story of Amir, a well-to-do boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan District of Kabul, Afghanistan who is tormented by the guilt of abandoning his friend Hassan. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of the monarchy in Afghanistan through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the Taliban regime.

Fast Facts

1. Release Date: December 14, 2007
2. Director: Marc Forster
3. Screenplay: Khaled Hosseini, David Benioff
4. Starring: Khalid Abdalla, Zekeria Ebrahimi
5. Academy Award nominated for best score

Child Actor Controversy

There was some controversy surrounding the welfare of the film's child actors. Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada who played the character Hassan as a child, expressed concern over a scene in the film which depicts him being raped. "I want to continue making films and be an actor but the rape scene upset me because my friends will watch it and I won't be able to go outside any more. They will think I was raped," said Ahmad. He and his parents worried that their son might be persecuted as a result of the film. There was also a concern over the amount the child actors were paid. As a result, the film's release date was pushed back six weeks in order to get its young stars permanently out of Kabul. Paramount relocated the three main boy actors playing Amir, Hassan, and Sohrab, and one with a minor role playing Omar, each accompanied by a relative, to the United Arab Emirates. A New York Times report also said that the studio "would accept responsibility for the boys' living expenses until they reach adulthood, a cost some estimated at up to $500,000 dollars."

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