Bo Kata

Cries of Bo Kata are chanted when kites are eliminated during torrid sky battles which see duellists pit their best-crafted kites and kite string to the ultimate test of skill and endurance. Bo Kata when translated into English roughly means hacked! Bo Kata was filmed during the Basant Kite festival in Lahore, Pakistan, over three continuous days. The documentary depicts the unique rooftop kite duellists of the city. The annual celebration of the coming of Spring, known as Basant in Pakistan, has been a tradition and cultural heritage of Pakistan for over 400 years. A series of tragic accidents resulting in decapitations and dismemberment from illegal chemically coated strings used to fly the kites has seen the age-old tradition come under attack from politicians, the authorities and the non kite-flying public. The Bo Kata documentary provides an insight into the fanatical kite flying population and the lucrative industry surrounding it amidst the political backdrop of an impending ban. ==Production==

Bo Kata was filmed on location in Lahore, Pakistan during the Annual Basant Kite Festival (Spring Festival) over three consecutive days in February 2004. Shehzad Afzal wanted a simplified music palette for the score to denote the kite strings and to convey lightness and space. John Walden used a mixture of guitar strings and Indian instrument sounds to produce a beautifully orchestrated sound space, which married perfectly with the visuals. A detailed interview appeared in the December 2007 /January 2008 issue of roughcuts Scottish Screen Industries Magazine, where Shehzad spoke about his past, present and future creative projects. == References ==