“The Song of Sparrows,” the Iranian Oscar entry in the 2008 Foreign Language Film Category,
is set in contemporary Tehran, revolving around Karim (Reza Maryam), a man who works at an ostrich farm and leads a very simple and contented life with his family in his small house.
One day, when one of the ostriches runs away. Karim is blamed for the loss and is fired from the farm. Soon after, he travels to the city in order to repair his elder daughter’s hearing aid but finds himself mistaken for a motorcycle taxi driver. Thus begins his new profession: ferrying people and goods through heavy traffic. But the people and material goods that he deals with daily starts to transform Karim’s generous and honest nature, much to the distress of his wife and daughters. It is up to those closest to him to restore the values that he had once cherished.
Produced, directed and co-written by Majid Majidi, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1997 for “Children of Heaven,” the film stars Reza Naji (winner of the “Silver Bear for Best Actor” at Berlinale 2008) Maryam Akbari, Kamran Dehghan, Hamed Aghazi, Shabnam Aklaghi and Neshat Nazari.
Song of Sparrows, The: Iran's Oscar Entry for 2008 Foreign Language Film
“The Song of Sparrows,” the Iranian Oscar entry in the 2008 Foreign Language Film Category,
is set in contemporary Tehran, revolving around Karim (Reza Maryam), a man who works at an ostrich farm and leads a very simple and contented life with his family in his small house.
One day, when one of the ostriches runs away. Karim is blamed for the loss and is fired from the farm. Soon after, he travels to the city in order to repair his elder daughter’s hearing aid but finds himself mistaken for a motorcycle taxi driver. Thus begins his new profession: ferrying people and goods through heavy traffic. But the people and material goods that he deals with daily starts to transform Karim’s generous and honest nature, much to the distress of his wife and daughters. It is up to those closest to him to restore the values that he had once cherished.
Produced, directed and co-written by Majid Majidi, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 1997 for “Children of Heaven,” the film stars Reza Naji (winner of the “Silver Bear for Best Actor” at Berlinale 2008) Maryam Akbari, Kamran Dehghan, Hamed Aghazi, Shabnam Aklaghi and Neshat Nazari.