Underplayed Gems

The Gardener (2012)

The Gardener poster
Original title
باغبان
Directed by
Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Genre
documentary film
Country
Israel, Iran, United Kingdom
Runtime
1h 27m
Rated
Busan Film Festival (Premiere)
Rating
5.2 of 10 from 9 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

The filmmaker visits Israel to explore the Baha'i gardens and talk to people from different backgrounds. The film looks at themes of peace and unity through the lens of nature and religion.

contemplativepeacefulreflectiveslow-pacedhopefulobservationalhumanistic

What happens

The Gardener (Persian: باغبان, Bāghbān) is a documentary film by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. It had its Asian premiere at Busan International Film Festival, its European premiere at Rotterdam International Film Festival, and North American premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival. It is the first film in decades to be made by an Iranian filmmaker in Israel. The film has been shown in more than 20 film festivals and won the Best Documentary award from Beirut International Film Festival and the special Maverick Award at the Motovun Film Festival in Croatia. The film was selected as "Critic's Pick of the Week" by New York Film Critics Circle, "Best of the Fest" at Busan Film Festival by The Hollywood Reporter, and "Top Ten Films" at Mumbai Film Festival by Times of India, and its script was added to the Library of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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