Blackboards (2000)

Itinerant Kurdish teachers, carrying blackboards on their backs, look for students in the hills and villages of Iran, near the Iraqi border during the Iran-Iraq war. Said falls in with a ... See full summary »

Director:

Samira Makhmalbaf

Writers:

Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Samira Makhmalbaf

Stars:

Said Mohamadi, Behnaz Jafari, Bahman Ghobadi

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Said Mohamadi	...	Said
Behnaz Jafari	...	Halaleh
Bahman Ghobadi	...	Reeboir
Mohamad Karim Rahmati	...	Father
Rafat Moradi	...	Ribvar
Mayas Rostami	...	Young boy storyteller
Saman Akbari	...	Group leader
Ahmad Bahrami	...	Marriage registrar
Mohamad Moradi	...	Match maker
Karim Moradi	...	Old man
Hassan Mohamadi	...	Child
Rasool Mohamadi	...	The boy porter
Somaye Veisee	...	Little girl

Storyline

Itinerant Kurdish teachers, carrying blackboards on their backs, look for students in the hills and villages of Iran, near the Iraqi border during the Iran-Iraq war. Said falls in with a group of old men looking for their bombed-out village; he offers to guide them, and takes as his wife Halaleh, the clan's lone woman, a widow with a young son. Reeboir attaches himself to a dozen pre-teen boys weighed down by contraband they carry across the border; they're mules, always on the move. Said and Reeboir try to teach as their potential students keep walking. Danger is close; armed soldiers patrol the skies, the roads, and the border. Is there a role for a teacher? Is there hope?

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Plot Keywords:

border | village | teacher | widow | contraband | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Did You Know?

Quotes

Halaleh: [to Said] My heart is like a train. At every station, someone gets on or off. But there is someone who never gets off. My son.

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Connections

Featured in Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema (2018)

User Reviews

Do you want to learn?

Beautiful film about what happens when loftier ideas of learning and education meet the stark reality of day-to-day existence of nomadic Kurdish refugees.

This story moves through the dusty Iran/Iraq landscapes like a painful wheeze, yet compels you stay on the path, mindful of every step.

I find this especially moving now, during these gut-wrenching times in which we live, and considering the US's tattered and torn relationship with the people of the Middle East.

If you're looking for star power, look elsewhere. I've not seen or heard of any of these actors, but I was completely satisfied with their genuine performances. This film is also subtitled, so some may consider that a deterrent but I didn't because the pacing of this movie allowed for it.

Definitely worth a view, especially if you are a person who enjoys films that juxtapose the behavior of mankind vs. the human spirit.

peace.

Details

Country:

Iran Italy Japan

Language:

Persian Kurdish

Release Date:

1 September 2000 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Blackboards

Filming Locations:

Kurdistan, Iran

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,416, 8 December 2002

Gross USA:

$23,520

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$41,772

Company Credits

Production Co:

Makhmalbaf Productions, Fabrica, Rai Cinema

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1