Turtles Can Fly
Turtles Can Fly, written and directed by Bahman Ghobadi (Marooned in Iraq, A Time for Drunken Horses) takes place in the days leading up to America's second war against Iraq, in a small village and refugee camp on the border of Iraq and Turkey. Soran Ebrahim stars as Satellite, a boy nicknamed for his obsession with technology. Satellite is also obsessed with the United States, and sprinkles bits of English throughout his speech. His strong personality and his resourcefulness have made him a leader among the younger children in the village. He even convinces the village elders to trade in their radios and purchase a satellite dish so they can watch news broadcasts on the upcoming war. Tension mounts as the village waits to hear when the U.S. will invade. For his part, Satellite finds himself smitten with an orphan girl, Agrin (Avaz Latif), who wanders into the refugee camp with her armless older brother, Henkov (Hirsh Feyssal), and a little boy who is nearly blind. Henkov earns a meager living clearing minefields, like Satellite, so Satellite sees him, at first, as a rival. But his earnest desire to help Agrin eventually extends to her family. Satellite and his friends find moments of joy amid the chaos and destruction, but Agrin seems haunted by past events too painful to reconcile, and her brother Henkov derives no pleasure from his seeming ability to predict the future. Turtles Can Fly was shown by the Film Society of Lincoln Center in 2005 as a part of the Film Comment Selects series. more..
Director: Bahman Ghobadi
Starring: Soran Ebrahim, Avaz Latif, Saddam Hossein Feysal, Hiresh Feysal Rahman, Abdol Rahman Karim
Superb acting and authentic details energize this rare Iran/Iraq coproduction.
This isn't a war movie. Rather, it's a powerful, heart-tugging portrait of the innocent victims of conflict.
One of the most heartbreaking, unforgettable dramas in years.
It is about the actual lives of refugees, who lack the luxury of opinions because they are preoccupied with staying alive in a world that has no place for them.
A cry of anguish for the youngest victims of every war.
Best Foreign Film
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Argentina (2006)
Best Foreign Film, Not in the Spanish Language (Mejor Película Extranjera)
Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards (2007)
14plus: Best Feature Film
Berlin International Film Festival (2005)
Shahriar Assadi
Camerimage (2004)
Jury Special Prize
Chicago International Film Festival (2004)
No lists