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

7 wins & 2 nominations.

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

afghanistan | kabul | f rated | bomb | marriage | 

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Taglines:

Freedom is Never Free

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Unrated

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Much of the exterior footage in the film is stock footage inserted during post-production.

User Reviews

New Customs vs. Old Traditions

On the negative side is a not very strong dialogue, and the acting was obviously acting. Understandable in that this is an Afghan production where a history of film freedom & production is probably lacking. Amusingly obvious in street filming sequences where bystanders, with looks of uncertainty, stare at the camera as it films an actor in a scene.

Story is centered on a family having the courage to open a restaurant with a stage for poetry, other readings, and music. All under newly instilled Western style freedoms. The Taliban, as we all know, think these actions are prohibited according to their readings of the Qur'an.

The film shows us the new customs blending with the old traditions from rural areas where Taliban are plotting against the restaurant to a girl's school (8 girls, small but an important start) where the class discussion is of how cleanliness is supported by the Qur'an. A telling quote, "So you understand how common death has become in Afghanistan.", is behind the title "the black tulip" which refers to planes that carried the Soviet dead back home during their presence (1978 to 1989).

Interesting in the credits to see Sen.Feinstein (D) and former Sen. Kyl (R) and Anne Heche, amongst other notables, as sponsors. A personal aside, the Anti-American sentiment, to be expected, expressed by Taliban illustrates the care we should take with our military and political incursions around the world that involve Islam. That we do not become their lightning rod, principal antagonist. One simple step, to ameliorate that, would be to promote allowing the Palestinians their own country, and not an ever-decreasing sized reservation, analogous to what Native Americans faced.