Production Date : 1999
Director : Samira Makhmalbaf
Producer : Makhmalbaf Film House
Synopsis:
After the chemical bombing of Halabcheh in Iraq a number of Kurd refugee teachers seek for pupils who are willing to educate around the border as they carry their blackboards like Jesus’ crosses. One of them encounters a group of teenage smugglers and tries to convince them to educate as they carry their heavy backpacks full of smuggled stuff. The other teacher encounters a group of old and tired men, whom after years of migration are going to their own country to die there. But it seems that hunger and insecurity has not left any chance for the education of the generations.
Script:
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Samira Makhmalbaf
Cast:
Saeid Mohammadi
Behnaz Jaffari
Mohammad Karim Rahmati
Rafat Moradi
Hayas Rostami
Saman Akbari
Ahmad Bahrami
Edit: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Executive Manager: Mohammad Ahmadi
Director of Photography: Ebrahim Ghafouri
Music: Mohammad Reza Darvishi
Sound: Behrouz Shahamat
Still Photography & Behind the scene: Maysam Makhmalbaf
Assistants of Director:
Mojtaba Mirtahmaseb
Marziyeh Meshkiny
Festivals:
Lund University Film Society, Sweden 2005.
One take Film Festival, Croatia 2004.
Era New Horizons Film Festival, poland 2004.
Cinefan Film Festival, India 2004.
Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Czech Republic 2004.
Midnight Sun Film Festival, Finland 2004.
Belgerad Film Festival, Serbia and montenegro 2002.
Bratislava Film Festival, Slovakia 2002.
Washington National Gallery, USA 2002.
Cinemateket Film Festival, Scandinavia 2001.
Boston Film Festival, USA 2001.
Jerusalem Film Festival, Israel 2001.
Buenos Aires Film Festival, Argentina 2001.
Nat Film Festival, Denmark 2001.
Beirut Film Festival, Lebanon 2001.
Cinemateque in Sweden, Sweden 2001.
Rotterdam Film Festival, Netherlands 2001.
Goteborg Film Festival, Sweden 2001.
Iranian Film Festival in Museum of art in Boston, USA 2000.
London Film Festival, UK 2000.
Jakarta Film Festival, Bangladesh 2000.
Sao Paolo Film Festival, Brazil 2000.
A.F.I (Los Angeles), USA 2000
Flanders Gent Film Festival, Belgium 2000.
Pusan Film Festival, South Korea 2000.
Warsaw Film Festival, Poland 2000.
Toronto Film Festival, Canada 2000.
Rio De Janeiro Film Festival, Brazil 2000.
Montreal Film Festival, Canada 2000.
Melbourne Film Festival, Australia 2000.
Moscow Film Festival, Russia 2000.
Munich Film Festival, Germany 2000.
Cannes Film Festival (in official Competion), France 2000.
Awards:
“The grand Jury prize”, American Film Institute, USA, 2000
“Special cultural Prize”, UNESCO, paris, 2000.
“Giffoni’s Mayor Prize “, Giffoni Film Festival, Italy, 2000.
“Francois Truffaut prize”, Giffoni Film Festival in Italy 2000.
“Federico Fillini Honor”, UNESCO, Paris, 2000.
“Jury’s prize”, Official Competition section of Cannes Film Festival, France 2000.