The Giant Buddhas

The Giant Buddhas
Directed by	Christian Frei
Produced by	Christian Frei
Starring	Taysir Alony Sayeed Mirza Hussain Nelofer Pazira Zémaryalaï Tarzi Xuanzang
Cinematography	Peter Indergand
Music by	Jan Garbarek Philip Glass Steve Kuhn Arvo Pärt
Release date	September 10, 2005 (2005-09-10) (Toronto International Film Festival)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	Switzerland
Languages	Arabic, Dari, English, French and Mandarin

The Giant Buddhas (2005) is a documentary film by Swiss filmmaker Christian Frei about the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamyan in Afghanistan by the Taliban in March 2001.[1]

The film premiered in August 2005 and was released in March 2006.[2] The movie quotes local Afghans that the destruction was ordered by Osama bin Laden and that initially, Mullah Omar and the Afghans in Bamyan had opposed the destruction.[3]

Awards and nominations

• DOK Leipzig 2005: Silver Dove
• Dokufest Prizren 2006: first prize ex aequo
• Trento Film Festival 2006: Silver Gentian
• Tahoe/Reno International Film Festival 2006: Best of the Fest - Documentary
• Sundance Film Festival 2006: nominated for a Grand Jury Prize for World cinema-documentaries[4]
• Swiss Film Prize 2006: nominated for the Swiss Film Prize for Best Documentary
• Toronto International Film Festival 2005: Official Selection

References

1. "Bamiyan Valley – Afghanistan".
2. "The Giant Buddhas". Swiss Films. August 1, 2005. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
3. Times Internet Limited (2006) Times of India article, March 27, 2006. Retrieved October 16, 2006.
4. "The Giant Buddhas - IMDb".

External links

• "The Giant Buddhas" trilingual site (English, Deutsch, Français)
• The Giant Buddhas at IMDb