Long synopsis : A group of male teachers crosses the mountainous paths of the remote Iranian Kurdistan region. Carrying large blackboards on their backs, they wander from village to village in search of students. The sudden menacing sound of overhead helicopters forces the men to run and seek refuge from an unseen enemy … One teacher, Reeboir, ventures away from the group and confronts a group of adolescent boys who dangerously transport contraband goods between Iran and Iraq. Reeboir tries to convince the boys of the advantages of learning to read and write, but none of them are interested. There is no time for reading. They are too busy risking their lives to survive … Said, another teacher also now traveling alone, arrives in a seemingly deserted village.

Cast

• Said Mohamadi, Jafari Behnaz, Bahman Ghobadi

Crew

• Director(s): Samira Makhmalbaf
• Screenplay: Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Samira Makhmalbaf
• DP: Ebrahim Gharofori
• Editing: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
• Original Music: Reza Mohammad Darvishi
• Sound Editor: Behrouz Shahmat

• Original Title: TAKHTE SIAH
• Genre(s): Drama


• Production company: FABRICA SPA
• Production date: 2000
• Language: Kurdish, Persian
• Duration: 85 min
• Image Ratio: 1.66
• Sound Info: Dolby SR

• Festival de Cannes 2000 - Competition
  Award(s) : Jury Prize Ex-aequo
• Toronto International Film Festival 2000
  
• Jerusalem Film Festival 2000
  
• Melbourne International Film Festival 2000
  
• American Film Institute Film Festival 2000
  Award(s) : Grand Jury Prize
• BFI London Film Festival 2001
  
• Busan International Film Festival 2001
  
• International Film Festival Rotterdam 2001
  
• Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival 2001
  Award(s) : Special Mention
• Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2004
  
• T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival 2004
  
• Munich International Film Festival 2006
  
• Festival International du Film Francophone Tübingen 2008