My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)

Baran, a Kurdish independence war hero, is now sheriff in Erbil, the capital city. No longer feeling useful in this society now at peace, he thinks about quitting the police force, but ... See full summary »

Director:

Hiner Saleem

Writers:

Hiner Saleem (scenario & dialogue), Antoine Lacomblez (collaboration)

Stars:

Korkmaz Arslan, Golshifteh Farahani, Suat Usta

5 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Korkmaz Arslan	...	Baran
Golshifteh Farahani	...	Govend
Suat Usta	...	Reber
Mir Murad Bedirxan	...	Tajdin
Feyyaz Duman	...	Jaffar Mohammed Emin
Tarik Akreyî	...	Aziz Aga
Véronique Wüthrich	...	Nîroj
Mizgin Gemo	...	Zirek
Kamiran Betasi	...	The Judge
Adil Abdolrahman	...	The Commisionner (as Adil Abdulrahman)
Bahman Haci	...	Sadu (as Bahman Haji)
Nezar Selami	...	The Commisionner (as Nizar Salami)
Sivan Salim	...	Govend's Father (as Shivan Salim)
Yilmaz Özdil	...	The Hanged Man (as Yilmaz Ozdil)
Hiner Saleem	...	The Photographer

Storyline

Baran, a Kurdish independence war hero, is now sheriff in Erbil, the capital city. No longer feeling useful in this society now at peace, he thinks about quitting the police force, but instead agrees to be stationed in a small valley, at the very borders of Iran, Turkey, and Iraq. It is a lawless territory, right at the heart of illegal drug, medication and alcohol trafficking. Having arrived in the small village, he refuses to bow down to Aga Azzi, the seriously corrupt tribal chief and absolute ruler of the area. Baran meets Govend, the village school teacher, who is also rejected by the villagers. Like Baran, she represents another law, that of the young and autonomous Kurdish state. Govend is all the more vulnerable as she is not a married woman.

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Plot Keywords:

tribal chief | school teacher | school | teacher | police | 

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Taglines:

A Kurdish western!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Iraq France Germany

Language:

Kurdish Arabic Turkish

Release Date:

27 March 2014 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Aga

Filming Locations:

Kurdistan, Iraq

Box Office

Budget:

€2,600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Agat Films & Cie, Rohfilm, HS Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Swiss censorship certificate # 1009.573.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

Baran: You're too brave to accept this.
Govend: No one wanted this village. And the children here, they needed education. I like it here. I like the children.
Baran: No one forced you.
Govend: No. I always wanted to study till I was 26. And now, I feel too old for here.
Baran: How old are you?
Govend: 28. But I got one thing. If you're not married at this age, people think there's something wrong with you.

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Soundtracks

La chanson des blés d'or
Lyrics by Camille Soubise and L. Lemaître
Music by Frédéric Doria
(1882)

User Reviews

A Kurdish Western

Great looking movie with many nods to the classic Westerns, including those of Sergio Leone, this movie dramatises the struggle by the new Kurdish regional government in Iraq to form the basics of government within its territories, especially the rule of law and educating the children, through the story of the policeman and the schoolteacher. This is all set in its wildest region, nicknamed the Bermuda Triangle, where the borders of Iraq, Iran and Turkey intersect. The music is a highlight, the cinematography too, and the landscape is stunning as well. I liked the story and the main characters, and so far it's one of my favourite films of the year, partly because it's so different but also because it is very well done.