Iran-born but UK-based Hassan Nazer’s fifth feature is set up as a children’s movie, but is essentially a tribute to Iranian cinema as much as a disillusioned look at what happens after the movie festivals, as a concept, end.
Winners is screening at Edinburgh International Film Festival
The film begins with a woman entering a taxi, before she gets out for a moment in a road filled with traffic. The police almost immediately arrive, forcing the driver to move, but after he circles and returns, the woman is nowhere to be found, and even more, there is a golden statue left in the passenger seat. It is actually an Oscar, but the driver has no clue about it, eventually leaving it in the local post office, where an elderly postal worker, thinking it is a doll of sorts, hides it in his bag and takes it to his village.
Winners is screening at Edinburgh International Film Festival
The film begins with a woman entering a taxi, before she gets out for a moment in a road filled with traffic. The police almost immediately arrive, forcing the driver to move, but after he circles and returns, the woman is nowhere to be found, and even more, there is a golden statue left in the passenger seat. It is actually an Oscar, but the driver has no clue about it, eventually leaving it in the local post office, where an elderly postal worker, thinking it is a doll of sorts, hides it in his bag and takes it to his village.
- 8/19/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The sales outfit previously represented Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi’s feature debut ‘Baduk’.
Paris-based Celluloid Dreams has boarded international sales rights to Majid Majidi’s Sun Children, ahead of its world premiere in competition at the 77th Venice Film Festival (September 2-12).
The French sales firm previously handled the Iranian director’s feature debut Baduk, which screened in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 1992.
His latest feature centres on 12-year-old Ali and his three friends, who take small jobs and commit petty crimes to make fast money. When Ali is entrusted to find some underground “hidden treasure”, he recruits his gang to help.
Paris-based Celluloid Dreams has boarded international sales rights to Majid Majidi’s Sun Children, ahead of its world premiere in competition at the 77th Venice Film Festival (September 2-12).
The French sales firm previously handled the Iranian director’s feature debut Baduk, which screened in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 1992.
His latest feature centres on 12-year-old Ali and his three friends, who take small jobs and commit petty crimes to make fast money. When Ali is entrusted to find some underground “hidden treasure”, he recruits his gang to help.
- 7/28/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Film FestivalMajid Majidi's controversial film 'Muhammad: The Messenger of God' will be screened at the festival.Tnm StaffMajid Majidi/ Hamed Malekpour, Tasnim News Agency/ Wikimedia Commons/ CCBYSA4.0Director of Children of Heaven, Majid Majidi, will be the jury chairman of this year’s International Film Festival of Kerala. The renowned Iranian filmmaker will be heading the jury for the international competition category. His controversial film Muhammad: The Messenger of God will also be screened at the festival. The film that released in 2015 is about the childhood of Prophet Muhammad, and is also the biggest budget production in Iranian cinema. The film met with criticism from Arab countries which called for its ban. Even Ar Rahman, who composed the music for this film, has faced criticism in India. But Majid Majidi said in an interview that the ban was called for by Saudi authorities and religious scholars who had not watched the film.
- 11/27/2018
- by Cris
- The News Minute
The Song of Sparrows
That Majid Majidi is a master does not need retelling. Ample evidence of that lies in Baran, Children of Heaven and Colours of Paradise. And to a great extent in The Song of Sparrows.
This is a film that has everything that Majidi is known for –wonderful actors, including a livewire band of child actors, panoramic cinematography (Tooraj Mansouri) which like in all Majidi films captures Iran’s vast openness at its most beautiful and contrasts it with the claustrophobia of the urban landscape, a fine mix of humour and melancholy, and above all, a deep humanist thought that gets life through a story of multiple meanings but told in an utterly simple manner.
This is a film in which Majidi raises a moral debate on how – and not whether - capitalism corrupts human values. Some might find Majidi’s style a bit to sentiment driven,...
That Majid Majidi is a master does not need retelling. Ample evidence of that lies in Baran, Children of Heaven and Colours of Paradise. And to a great extent in The Song of Sparrows.
This is a film that has everything that Majidi is known for –wonderful actors, including a livewire band of child actors, panoramic cinematography (Tooraj Mansouri) which like in all Majidi films captures Iran’s vast openness at its most beautiful and contrasts it with the claustrophobia of the urban landscape, a fine mix of humour and melancholy, and above all, a deep humanist thought that gets life through a story of multiple meanings but told in an utterly simple manner.
This is a film in which Majidi raises a moral debate on how – and not whether - capitalism corrupts human values. Some might find Majidi’s style a bit to sentiment driven,...
- 4/8/2010
- by Runumi G
- DearCinema.com
Sales may be bad, but they're not that bad for Fortissimo. Wouter Barendrecht recognizes that business continues to be down since AFM last year, but rather than drive distributors out of business, he has sold six titles. Food, Inc. went to Golden Village for Singapore, Cafe Groove for Japan, A-Film for Benelux, United King Films for Israel and Deltamac for Hong Kong and Taiwan. Todd Solondz's Forgiveness went to Israel's Shani Films and Russia's Maywin Media. Paul Schrader's 1985 cult favorite Mishima went to NonStop Entertainment for Scandinavia, Wild Side for France, Avalon for Spain. The tipped for Cannes title Face went to Maywin Media for Russia and to Switzerland's Columbus Film. The Song of Sparrows was acquired by Taiwan's Cineplex Entertainment and Germany's ARD Degeto, which also acquired Son of a Lion.
- 3/25/2009
- Sydney's Buzz
UPDATED 5:19 p.m. PT Feb. 17
BERLIN -- Jose Padilha's "Tropa de Elite" ("The Elite Squad"), a story of police corruption and gang violence in the Brazilian slums, has won the Golden Bear for best film at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival.
"The Elite Squad", which will be distributed in the states by The Weinstein Co., was a surprise winner, beating out critical favorite "There Will Be Blood" from Paul Thomas Anderson, which won two Silver Bears: best director for Anderson and best sound for "Blood" composer Jonny Greenwood's experimental electronic soundtrack.
The Grand Jury Silver Bear went to "Standard Operating Procedure", Errol Morris' documentary on torture in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. Morris' film was the first documentary to screen in competition in Berlin.
Sally Hawkins won the best actress prize for her ebullient, crowd-pleasing performance in Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky". Iran's Reza Najie won the best actor Silver Bear playing a man struggling to earn his daily bread in Majid Majidi's "The Song of Sparrows".
But the night belonged to "The Elite Squad", an action-packed drama that follows a group of elite, police shock troops as they fight all-powerful drug lords while also battling rampant corruption within their own ranks.
"The Elite Squad" has already become a phenomenon in its home country, with more than 11.5 million people seeing it on pirated DVDs.
"Elite" is the first film from the new Latin American Film fund, set up by The Weinstein Co. and producer Eduardo Constantini. Padilha initially developed "Elite" with financing from Universal's international productions arm. He then brought it to Constantini and The Weinstein Co., which became involved in its development and production through an investment from the fund.
BERLIN -- Jose Padilha's "Tropa de Elite" ("The Elite Squad"), a story of police corruption and gang violence in the Brazilian slums, has won the Golden Bear for best film at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival.
"The Elite Squad", which will be distributed in the states by The Weinstein Co., was a surprise winner, beating out critical favorite "There Will Be Blood" from Paul Thomas Anderson, which won two Silver Bears: best director for Anderson and best sound for "Blood" composer Jonny Greenwood's experimental electronic soundtrack.
The Grand Jury Silver Bear went to "Standard Operating Procedure", Errol Morris' documentary on torture in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. Morris' film was the first documentary to screen in competition in Berlin.
Sally Hawkins won the best actress prize for her ebullient, crowd-pleasing performance in Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky". Iran's Reza Najie won the best actor Silver Bear playing a man struggling to earn his daily bread in Majid Majidi's "The Song of Sparrows".
But the night belonged to "The Elite Squad", an action-packed drama that follows a group of elite, police shock troops as they fight all-powerful drug lords while also battling rampant corruption within their own ranks.
"The Elite Squad" has already become a phenomenon in its home country, with more than 11.5 million people seeing it on pirated DVDs.
"Elite" is the first film from the new Latin American Film fund, set up by The Weinstein Co. and producer Eduardo Constantini. Padilha initially developed "Elite" with financing from Universal's international productions arm. He then brought it to Constantini and The Weinstein Co., which became involved in its development and production through an investment from the fund.
- 2/17/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Competition
BERLIN -- Stepping back from the bright colors and sentimentality of his signature films such as The Children of Heaven and Baran, veteran helmer Majid Majidi reverts to a plain country setting in The Song of Sparrows, a metaphor-driven tale of moral decline and redemption. The story, spiked with gentle humor, moves smoothly through the standard tropes of Iranian Art House cinema. The film's market strength can be gauged accordingly.
After the intellectualized sidestep of Weeping Willow, about a blind man who regains his sight and loses his soul, Majidi wisely heads back to stories about simpler folk with simpler problems that audiences can identify with. Here, the hero is the gruff, craggy-faced Karim (Reza Naji), a loving husband and father of three who is fired from his job on an ostrich farm when one of the birds scenically runs off into the hills.
There is little outright talk of God in this seventh film by the religious Majidi, yet everything seems to happen right on schedule to test Karim's faith. While he's on an errand in the city, a harried businessman jumps on his motorcycle, and Karim embarks on a new career as a taxi driver. The money is good but, as we know, the root of all evil, and as Karim's nest egg grows he starts to become contaminated by the distracted, dishonest city folk.
Observing the rich middle class and their homes that have everything, he is overcome with a burning desire to accumulate. What he brings home on his bike is literally junk, however, piled in the front yard like a giant trash heap. Unwilling to give away even the most useless items, he flies into a rage when he learns his wife has made a present of an Old Blue door, which he then carries home on his back across fields in pretty shots reminiscent of Samira Makhmalbaf's Blackboards.
The turning point will arrive when Karim's world of useless material objects collapses on top of him.
In the film's most original scenes, Majidi ably demonstrates how even innocent children can turn into rabid capitalists, ready to smash everything around them to protect their investment. The film's running subplot involves Karim's little son, Hossein, and the dream he shares with his friends to stock a well with fish and become a millionaire when they multiply. When the fish are accidentally lost, the boys go wild with grief and frustration until the newly sage Karim reminds them that "the world is a dream and a lie," heralding a return to joy and sanity for all.
Low-key, realistic performances from a mostly nonpro cast keep the story running smoothly. His face visibly stressed-out and hardened from loneliness as he detaches himself from family and friends, Naji gives the film a strong center.
Although toned down from the strong hues of the director's earlier films, the cinematography by Tooraj Mansouri is always striking and elegant.
THE SONG OF SPARROWS
Majidi Production Co.
Credits:
Director-producer: Majid Majidi
Screenwriter: Majid Majidi, Mehran Kashani
Executive producer: Javad Norouzbeigi
Director of photography: Tooraj Mansouri
Production/costume designer: Asghar Nezhad-Imani
Music: Hossein Alizadeh
Editor: Hassan Hassandoost
Cast:
Reza Naji
Maryam Akbari
Kamran Dehghan
Hamed Aghazi
Shabnam Akhlaghi
Neshat Nazari
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
BERLIN -- Stepping back from the bright colors and sentimentality of his signature films such as The Children of Heaven and Baran, veteran helmer Majid Majidi reverts to a plain country setting in The Song of Sparrows, a metaphor-driven tale of moral decline and redemption. The story, spiked with gentle humor, moves smoothly through the standard tropes of Iranian Art House cinema. The film's market strength can be gauged accordingly.
After the intellectualized sidestep of Weeping Willow, about a blind man who regains his sight and loses his soul, Majidi wisely heads back to stories about simpler folk with simpler problems that audiences can identify with. Here, the hero is the gruff, craggy-faced Karim (Reza Naji), a loving husband and father of three who is fired from his job on an ostrich farm when one of the birds scenically runs off into the hills.
There is little outright talk of God in this seventh film by the religious Majidi, yet everything seems to happen right on schedule to test Karim's faith. While he's on an errand in the city, a harried businessman jumps on his motorcycle, and Karim embarks on a new career as a taxi driver. The money is good but, as we know, the root of all evil, and as Karim's nest egg grows he starts to become contaminated by the distracted, dishonest city folk.
Observing the rich middle class and their homes that have everything, he is overcome with a burning desire to accumulate. What he brings home on his bike is literally junk, however, piled in the front yard like a giant trash heap. Unwilling to give away even the most useless items, he flies into a rage when he learns his wife has made a present of an Old Blue door, which he then carries home on his back across fields in pretty shots reminiscent of Samira Makhmalbaf's Blackboards.
The turning point will arrive when Karim's world of useless material objects collapses on top of him.
In the film's most original scenes, Majidi ably demonstrates how even innocent children can turn into rabid capitalists, ready to smash everything around them to protect their investment. The film's running subplot involves Karim's little son, Hossein, and the dream he shares with his friends to stock a well with fish and become a millionaire when they multiply. When the fish are accidentally lost, the boys go wild with grief and frustration until the newly sage Karim reminds them that "the world is a dream and a lie," heralding a return to joy and sanity for all.
Low-key, realistic performances from a mostly nonpro cast keep the story running smoothly. His face visibly stressed-out and hardened from loneliness as he detaches himself from family and friends, Naji gives the film a strong center.
Although toned down from the strong hues of the director's earlier films, the cinematography by Tooraj Mansouri is always striking and elegant.
THE SONG OF SPARROWS
Majidi Production Co.
Credits:
Director-producer: Majid Majidi
Screenwriter: Majid Majidi, Mehran Kashani
Executive producer: Javad Norouzbeigi
Director of photography: Tooraj Mansouri
Production/costume designer: Asghar Nezhad-Imani
Music: Hossein Alizadeh
Editor: Hassan Hassandoost
Cast:
Reza Naji
Maryam Akbari
Kamran Dehghan
Hamed Aghazi
Shabnam Akhlaghi
Neshat Nazari
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 2/11/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.