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A group of teachers roam the countryside in Iranian Kurdistan, looking to trade education for sustenance. As their travels take them near the border with Iraz, they keep their blackboards strapped to their back for protection from enemy military fire. After escaping attack by an army helicopter, the teachers are separated; the film follows the journey of two of them, Said and Reeboir, who take very different paths in their efforts to find some sense of belonging and community in their war-torn land.

Blackboards is the second feature by Samira Makhmalbaf, whose first film, The Apple, garnered a great deal of attention from the itnernatinal film community. Blackboards seems to have enhanced her reputation, as it has received numerous awards at various film festivals since it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000, as well as quite a bit of positive reaction from critics. It is now seeing a limited release in the US, and should provide an interesting insight for American audiences into life in a country wracked by racial strife and shunned by the Western world. (Stephanie Star Smith/BOP)

Vital statistics for Blackboards Main Cast Said Mohamadi, Behnaz Jafari, Bahman Ghobadi Supporting Cast Mohamad Karim Rahmati, Rafat Moradi, Saman Akbari, Karim Moradi Director Samira Makhmalbaf Screenwriter Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Samira Makhmalbaf Distributor Leisure Time Features Awards Grand Jury Prize to Samira Makhmalbaf, 2000 AFI Fest Special Mention to Samira Makhmalbaf , 2001 Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema Jury Prize to Samira Makhmalbaf [Tied with Sånger från andra våningen (2000)], 2000 Cannes Film Festival Awards page for Blackboards Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture