"Delbaran"
2001
Directed by Abolfazl Jalili

Director Abolfazl Jalili offers a compassionate story of a young Afghan refugee living illegally in Iran. Though the film is shot in a modest documentary style that adds a certain immediacy, the narrative is lyrical, moving, and quite funny. Young Kaim drifts to the Delbaran crossing on the Afghan-Iran border, where he finds work at a coffee shop. He feels at home in this small oasis, even though bandits roam the roads, the war can be heard in the distance, and opium is everywhere. As we watch Kaim run from task to task, day after day, we realize we are watching a boy being cheated out of his childhood. "...beautifully realized study of characters lost between the cracks of history and politics" (Derek Elley, Variety). Winner of the Don Quixote Award and nominated for the Golden Leopard at the 2001 Locarno Film Festival. Persian with English subtitles.  96 minutes.