Baduk is a 1992

1992 in film

The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...

 Iranian film

Cinema of Iran

The cinema of Iran is a flourishing film industry with a long history. Many popular commercial films are annually made in Iran, and Iranian art films win praise around the world....

. It was the debut feature of director Majid Majidi

Majid Majidi

Majid Majidi is an internationally and critically acclaimed Iranian film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Majidi's films have touched on many themes and genres and he has won many international awards.-Biography:...

. The film deals with child slavery. The Persian

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

 term "baduk" refers to people, often children hired against their will, who carry smuggled

Smuggling

Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...

 merchandise from the border on foot.

Synopsis

Jafar and his sister Jamal are separated from their parents after their father is killed in a well cave-in. While walking along the road, the siblings are kidnapped and sold into slavery. Jamal is dressed in fancy silks, destined to be the playmate of a Saudi prince. Jafar is drafted into a band of child baduki, bringing goods across the border between
Pakistan and Iran. Jafar escapes his captors, and engages the help of Noredin, a Pakistani baduk he has befriended. Together they work to free Jafar's sister, Jamal. The movie ends with a doomed act of bravery on the part of Jafar.

Background and critical response

The film was shot in Sistan and Baluchestan, an arid province in southeast Iran. Baduk premiered in January 1992, and was shown that February at the Tehran Fajr Film Festival. It was screened at the Director's Fortnight at Cannes

Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...

 in 1992, where it was considered a bold film from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Director Majidi ran into censorship problems after making this film.

Awards

• Best New Film, 10th Annual Fajr Film Festival
• Best Screen Play, 10th Annual Fajr Film Festival

Sources

• Sons Against Fathers. Article by Massoud Mehrabi http://www.massoudmehrabi.com/articles.asp?id=1674730661
• Synopsis from Allmovie, New York Times http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=210990
• Synopsis, Associação Brasileira Mostra Internacional de Cinema http://www2.uol.com.br/mostra/29/p_exib_filme_arquivo_1614.shtml
• International Festival of Films for Children and Young Adults, Iran http://www.icff.ir/en/festivals/08/competition/