The Iron Island

Colour, 35 mm
Iran, 2005, 85 min
Section: Another View
Oficiální stránky: www.smediaint.com

Synopsis

What is the true face of poverty? People live on the southern coast of Iran without a roof over their heads, and all their worldly possessions would fit into a bundle carried on a stick. Mothers have neither food nor medicine for their children because they wait for months for their husbands to return from the sea. Young men have no reason to believe that things will be better for them. Daughters are at the mercy of fathers to decide whom they will marry. The poorest of the poor find refuge on a boat commanded by Captain Nemat. The once imposing vessel has become a  rusty wreck held together only by a miracle. But it is a place where they can at least survive, since living respectably is out of the question. Yet here, too, love can flower and death does its work. Being too trusting never pays off anywhere in this world....

About the director

Mohammad Rasoulof (b. 1973, Shiraz, Iran) graduated in sociology from Shiraz University and then studied editing at Sooreh University in Teheran. In 1991-2001 he shot six shorts (Friday, The Pin, Seven Dreams, Ten Seconds More, The Glass House, Evening Party) and the documentary Taste of Dust. He also worked as assistant to several directors. His feature debut, Twilight (Gagooman, 2002), was shown and awarded around the world. The Iron Island is his second feature. The film was screened in Director’s Fortnight at this year’s Cannes IFF.