The Giant Buddhas
Encyclopedia
The Giant Buddhas is a documentary
by Swiss filmmaker Christian Frei
about the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamyan
in Afghanistan. It was released in March 2006. The movie makes the controversial claim (quoting a local Afghan) that the destruction was ordered by Osama Bin Laden
and that initially, Mullah Omar and the Afghans in Bamyan had opposed the destruction.
and a Swiss Film Prize for Best Documentary at the 2006 Swiss Film Prize.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
by Swiss filmmaker Christian Frei
Christian Frei
Christian Frei is a Swiss filmmaker. He is mostly known for his two films War Photographer and The Giant Buddhas . Both deal with topics and themes more or less linked to war and intolerance....
about the destruction of the Buddhas of Bamyan
Buddhas of Bamyan
The Buddhas of Bamiyan were two 6th century monumental statues of standing buddhas carved into the side of a cliff in the Bamyan valley in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, situated northwest of Kabul at an altitude of 2,500 meters...
in Afghanistan. It was released in March 2006. The movie makes the controversial claim (quoting a local Afghan) that the destruction was ordered by Osama Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
and that initially, Mullah Omar and the Afghans in Bamyan had opposed the destruction.
Awards and nominations
The film won the Leipzig DOK Festival Silver Dove award in 2005, and was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize for World cinema-documentaries at the 2006 Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and a Swiss Film Prize for Best Documentary at the 2006 Swiss Film Prize.