Sam French, an American filmmaker, fell in love with a beautiful woman and followed her to Kabul, where she was stationed at the British Embassy. He had no job, no understanding of the country, and imagined he would spend most of his time hunkered down under lock and key. In Kabul, he fell in love with the city and its people, their resilience and hope for something more. So he started a production company with the idea to make films that reflected the real Kabul. The films would also serve to connect young, ambitious Afghan filmmakers with professional mentors – and each other

French’s first film, the Buzkashi Boys, a half-hour short about a blacksmith’s son and a charismatic street urchin with dreams of a better life, was nominated for an Oscar in 2013. Here’s a pic of the two young stars of the film at this year’s Oscars (French helped raise over 12 grand to get the boys there):

Sam has since created a non-profit foundation called the Afghan Film Project formed to “tell uniquely Afghan Stories while building the capacity of Afghanistan’s film industry”.

The Buzkashi Boys can be downloaded on iTunes here.

The mission of the foundation is ethical and inspiring – and a model for putting art in action.