Niloofar is an Iranian

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 movie, filmed in 2007 by the Lebanese

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 director Sabine El Gemayel. The movie was launched in 2008.

The movie poetically focuses on a young girl just entering puberty. This new phase in her life marks her entry into the circle of women, which brings with it new cultural obligations that leave little room for her own personal quest.

Synopsis

Niloofar, a twelve-year-old girl, is dreaming of being able to read and write. Unfortunately, in her village only boys can go to school. Niloofars mother, a midwife, pushes her to become her apprentice. During one of the deliveries, Niloofar meets an educated woman. In secret, she start Noloofar how to read and write.

In the mean time the father of Niloofar has bought a field of palms. The price: Niloofar, as soon as she is a woman. Niloofar is horrified by this and tries to postpone her periods. When her periods finally do arrive, she hides this from the community. But the truth can not be hidden for long and one day her secret is exposed. Instead of marrying a man she does not love, she decides to flee with a friend. Her family is shocked by this and feels themselves dishonored. They send her stepbrother out to track Niloofar down and bring her back.

Cast

• Roya Nownahali: Salmah
• Mobina Aynehdar: Niloofar
• Nayereh Farahani: Noor
• Shahab Hosseini
  Shahab Hosseini
  -Early life:Shahab Hosseini was born on 3 February 1974 in Mirdamad, Tehran. Once a psychology student at the University of Tehran, he dropped out to emigrate to Canada. Instead, he ended up as a radio host in Iran. This was followed by hosting a TV show for the youth audience and some small acting...
  
  : Aziz
• Hengameh Ghaziani: Firoozeh
• Tooraj Faramarzian: Sheik Abbas
• Sadegh Safai: Abdoullah
• Fatemeh Motamed Aria: Banoo
• Alireza Ziaijan: Saeed
• Zahra Davoud Nejad: Ackar
• Saghar Slolaymani: Zeinad
• Zahra Davoudnejad: pregnant woman

Crew

• Directed by: Sabine El Gemayel
• Produced by: Tahoora Abolghassemi, Dima Al-Joundi, Rachid Bouchareb
  Rachid Bouchareb
  Rachid Bouchareb is a French film director of Algerian descent.From 1977 to 1983, he worked as an assistant director for France’s state television production company, Société française de production . Subsequetly, he worked for broadcasters TF1 and Antenne 2...
  
  , Jean Bréhat, Amin Mahdavhi and Fereshteh Taerpoor
• Film Editing by: Bahram Dehghani
• Original Music by: Fardin Khalatbari

Festivals

• Montréal World Film Festival
  Montreal World Film Festival
  The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
  
  
• AFI Fest
• Berlin International Film Festival
  Berlin International Film Festival
  The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
  
  
• Zlín International Film Festival for Children and Youth
• Cannes Film Festival
  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...
  
  
• Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival