The Breadwinner

Authors: Connor Campbell
Location: Texas

“The Breadwinner”

Directed by Milos Forman
Written by Deborah Ellis

Principal Cast:

Parvana- Keisha Castle-Hughes
Parvana’s Older Sister- Marina Golbahari
Parvana’s Father- Naveen Andrews
Parvana’s Mother- Parminder Nagra
Parvana’s Little Sister- Unknown Iraqi Actress, age 10
Shauzira- Benaf Dadachandji

Tagline: "When happiness is a lifetime away anything can happen"

Synopsis: Parvana’s family used to be wealthy. They had a large home in a beautiful neighborhood in Kabul. That was until the Taliban took over and bombed their neighborhood. Her brother was killed and the rest of her family was forced to move into a tiny apartment in a different part of the city. Women were no longer allowed to go outside without a male companion and could not show their faces. Parvana’s father was forced to work at the market while Parvana, her mother & sisters stayed inside. But when her father was arrested after Taliban officials ransacked their home and found forbidden teaching materials. Without another man in the family, the family has no money. With nothing left to do, the dress Parvana in her dead brother’s clothes and go to the market to provide for her family. While working at the market, Parvana meets Shauzira, another woman dressed as a man. Together they protect each other from their true identities being discovered. After starting to dig graves for bones for money her father is released from prison and injured so Parvana still has to dress up as a man and her older sister is getting married in the “safe city” where the Taliban is not in power. But while her sisters and mother are there the Taliban invades and the fate of the rest of her family is unknown. Parvana must travel to the “safe city” to find her family.

What the press would say:

“The scene when Parvana & Shauzira go into the stadium to see what they thought was a soccer game that was actually an execution was beautifully done and really shows the whole experience through a child’s eyes”- Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

“The Breadwinner’s achievement is that it has integrated within a suspenseful story the brutal conditions in Afghanistan. Every detail in it’s account of Parvana's family is taken from first hand sources, and clandestine film footage smuggled out of Afghanistan. By focusing on one family whose day-to-day life engrosses us, The Breadwinner humanizes the experience of a nation.”- Gary Cogil- Dallas Morning News

“Keisha pulls you in and never lets you go. Her performance is one that makes you want to ball like a baby. Phenomenal, absolutely fabulous.” Good Morning America

NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
Best Director- Milos Forman
Best Actress- Keisha Castle-Hughes
Best Supporting Actress- Benaf Dadachandji
Best Adapted Screenplay- Deborah Ellis
Best Editing
Best Sound
Best Sound Editing