The Song of Sparrows

The luminous and humorous morality tale THE SONG OF SPARROWS is the new film from Iranian master Majid Majidi, the director of Oscar nominee CHILDREN OF HEAVEN and THE COLOR OF PARADISE. It is the winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival and Iran’s selection for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2008 Academy Awards.

The story opens in simple but stunning pastoral Iran, where an unassuming Ostrich farmer, Karim (Berlin winner Reza Naji), fights to support his family. In a string of bad luck, Karim’s daughter loses her expensive hearing aid and Karim suddenly loses his job when an Ostrich comically runs away from the farm. Fortunately, his financial woes are short-lived as Karim stumbles upon an easy way to make money quickly in bustling Tehran, when he inadvertently gives a man a ride on the back of his motorbike in return for a fee, a relatively good sum which prompts him to continue his taxi service on a regular basis. Every day Karim rides into town, bringing back home all kinds of rummage – old furniture, car parts etc., and soon finds himself entangled in a world of hustle, materialism and greed. When Karim’s relationships with family and friends come close to the boiling point, he must find a way to reconcile his new life with the old. With a cast of wonderful non-professional child actors, THE SONG OF SPARROWS, Majidi’s latest gem in his collection of timeless fables, bursts with humor and humanity.

Writer-director Majid Majidi is the only Iranian director ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, THE COLOR OF PARADISE and BARAN were critical hits when released in the US and abroad. Majidi was one of five international film directors invited to create a documentary short film to introduce the city of Beijing, in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. Grammy-nominated composer and musician Hossein Alizadeh, a master tar and setar player, provides the haunting score.

“Deeply humanistic.” (Alissa Simons, Variety)

“Striking and elegant.” (Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter)