THE APPLE, march 13

THE APPLE
Samira Makhmalbaf

(the last film we screened was her father's 'Gabbeh')


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There is no family in the film world these days more fascinating than the
Iranian Makhmalbafs. They've been known to sell their house and car to
finance a film, buy them back when they sell the film, and start all over
again the moment the next project comes up.

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THE FILM
~88 minutes semi-documentary~

Richly allusive and beautifully photographed, "THE APPLE" follows the
aftermath of a real-life situation, in Tehran, in which a father had kept
his two daughters confined to their home since birth. Their mother is
blind and their father is a strict religious man who is concerned about
their honour should they be left on their own or subjected to the sinful
influences of the outside world while he is out of the house.

When neighbors reported the situation to the welfare authorities in
Teheran, the daughters, who are slightly retarded, were removed from the
home and returned to their parents only on the condition that the father
allow the two to leave home and explore the outside world.


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THE FILM MAKER

Being the daughter of famous Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Samira’s
upbringing was both privileged and liberal, and in most respects very
different from the experience her two subjects in the film 'The Apple'
shared.

Samira saw the story on television and wanted to film their story using
the real people as themselves. She heard about the story on a Wednesday
and began filming on the Sunday 4 days later.

Samira Makhmalbaf belongs to New wave movement of Iranian cinema. he left
high school when she was 14, to learn cinema in the Makhmalbaf Film House
for 5 years. At the age of 17, after directing two video productions, she
went on to direct the movie The Apple. One year later, the 18 year old
director went on to become the youngest director in the world
participating in the official section of the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

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QUOTES

"The apple like the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible, represents life
and knowledge in Iranian poetry. We have a similar story in the Qur’an.
But I actually found this element in the children’s life. Because while
everyone was worried about the fate of these two girls, they were eating
an apple, and truly enjoying it. So I decided to keep the symbol of the
apple throughout the film".

"The best thing I've learned from my father is not to judge but to love
humanity."

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'THE APPLE' has been invited to more than 100 international film festivals
in a period of 2 years, while going to the screen in more than 30
countries.

poster- Merryn John Tharakan