BLACKBOARDS aka TAKHTE SIAH

Year: 2000
USA: Leisure Time Features
UK: Artificial Eye
Cast: Bahman Ghobadi, Said Mohamadi, Behnaz Jafai
Director: Samira Makhmalbaf
Countries: Iran / Italy / Japan
Language: Kurdish (English subtitles)
UK: 85 mins
UK Certificate: PG contains scenes of mild threat and violence
USA Release Date: 6 December 2002 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 29 December 2000

Synopsis

BLACKBOARDS is a story set on the borders between Iran and Iraq. It concerns the arrival of a group of teachers with blackboards slung over their backs, who are there to help educate the countless refugees amassed on this border. Both the refugees and the teachers are threatened by the volatile behaviour of soldiers there and the film details the teachers' encounters with the harrowing experiences and plight of these refugees.

The film from director Samira Makhamalbaf was a winner at the Cannes Film Festival 2000.