The Black Tulip (2010)

The Mansouri family opens up a new restaurant after the fall of the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan only to be subsequently targeted by factional Taliban elements.

Director:

Sonia Nassery Cole

Writers:

Sonia Nassery Cole, David Michael O'Neill

Stars:

Haji Gul Aser, Sonia Nassery Cole, Walid Amini

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Haji Gul Aser	...	Hadar Mansouri
Sonia Nassery Cole	...	Farishta Mansouri
Walid Amini	...	Akram Zabuli
Somajia Razaya	...	Belkis Mansouri
Hosna Tanha	...	Bobo Jan
Basir Mujaheed	...	Amanullah
Karim Jaweed	...	Omar Zabuli
Sadaf Yarmal	...	Satara Mansouri
Jack Scalia	...	Colonel Williams
Edoardo Costa	...	Colonel Tanelli
Payenda Joyenda	...	Gul (Old Waiter)
Asadullah Salehi	...	Officer Raheem
Adeda Frotan	...	Parween
Shafi Sahel	...	Old Afghan Poet
Masi Norry	...	Farouk

Storyline

When Taliban authorities deny the turning over of Osama Bin Laden post 911, U.S. Forces rout their leadership from Kabul and free its Afghan citizens from the brutal grip of spiritual henchman Mullah Mohammed Omar and that of his dark-age Sharia led leadership. Seizing upon this new and volatile window of freedom, matriarch Farishta Mansouri along with her husband Hadar normalize their family's efforts by turning her deceased father's Soviet destroyed bookstore into a restaurant. A place of hope called "The Poet's Corner" along with an open microphone, a small stage and an invitation for all Afghans to read their poetry, voice is now given to the voiceless. Both men and women now have a safe, equal and inviting place to tell their stories and to sing their songs. But like a lightening rod, these new voices of freedom attract the darkest, lingering factional Taliban elements who then target the Mansouri family in the most heinous ways imaginable. In their efforts to silence the ...

---

Plot Keywords:

afghanistan | kabul | marriage | u.s. military | bomb | 

---

Taglines:

Freedom is Never Free

---

Genres:

Drama | Family

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Afghanistan USA

Language:

Dari English Pushto

Release Date:

26 October 2012 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Helmand Province, Afghanistan

Box Office

Budget:

$5,300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Breadwinner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Breathtaking scenes, exceptional music and amazing story!

This is the first time a movie about Afghanistan, created by Afghans and shot entirely in Afghanistan is being considered for the Oscars. I truly enjoyed watching this captivating movie which does not fail to show Afghanistan in it's entirety.

The scenes were simply fantastic and breathtaking. Many of my friends who have recently traveled there say it mimics Afghanistan exactly the way it is today: modern, classy, evolving and closer to freedom than ever before.

The music was beautiful and touching at the same time. Never have I seen music like that in my whole life and this film shows that music is a very big part of the Afghan culture.

The acting was superb, particularly that of the young gal playing the bride to be. There were parts in the film which were also quite funny and made the theater burst into laughter---nicely done.

Overall, I gave this film a 10/10 because so much was risked in making this film and despite every challenge faced by the crew, they managed to finish it up and give Afghanistan something to be proud of: That is, the world will know that Afghans are more than uncivilized people living in caves---