Holy Bread
Holy Bread
Rahim Zabihi
Iran / 2020 / 54' / Documentary / Italian premiere
Holy Bread
Rahim Zabihi
Iran / 2020 / 54' / Documentary / Italian premiere

HOLY BREAD documents the highly dangerous work of Kurdish “kulbars”, workers who try to support their families by transporting goods across the Iranian border. On foot, they carry their loads along mountain paths that are rocky, steep, and either slippery due to snow or blisteringly hot. Along the way, many of them suffer injuries, die in blizzards, or are shot by border police. The powerful scenes of the men’s journeys are matched by their harrowing stories. No one chooses to become a “kulbar” - it’s simply an unavoidable consequence of not having any other form of work. The film crew followed these workers for nine years to document the impact of living like a human pack mule. HOLY BREAD gives exposure to a group of mostly men, who, driven by poverty, hunger, and despair, operate in the margins of society.

Language: Persian

Subtitles: Italian

Director

Rahim Zabihi

Born in 1971, in Baneh in Iranian Kurdistan, he was the most prominent and prolific Kurdish filmmaker, winning many local and international awards, including the best film from Clermont-Ferrand film festival for HAWAR. He has been presented in over 50 national and international events and film festivals, in Tehran, Brazil, France and Germany. His movies include SATELLITE, GORIZ END OF WAR, STRESS. Zabihi and his brother Keywan died following a tragic car accident in the Nizro district in Baneh. HOLY BREAD, his last film, was selected at the 33rd IDFA Competition in Amsterdam.

Awards

GENZIANA D'ORO C.A.I.
Ed. 2021
Life in mountain communities is not easy; in many cases reality reflects inequalities and minimal subsistence conditions. Holy Bread offers rough testimonies of how the Kulbars transport goods through mountain passes without the necessary technical equipment, facing dangers and extreme weather conditions, with the strong will to do whatever it takes to bring the holy bread to the family table.

Gallery

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