Synopsis:
A father imprisons her two children in the house for 11 years from when they were 2 years old up to when they became 13 years old. When the neighbors become aware of the fact and inform the welfare ministry to come and help the children, the girls have already become retarded and could not talk and walk like the girls their own age. After a while the welfare ministry sends the children back to their father on the condition that he does not imprison them again but their father imprisons them once again. A nurse whom has come to the house to take care of the children is forced to lock the father in the house to be able to take the children to play in the streets. The girls experience their first social life when they step into the street and their father whom has been locked in the house notices the condition of his imprisoned girls. At the end the girls whom were now free, struggle to free their father from the house prison.



Directed by : Samira MAKHMALBAF
Courtries : IRAN, FRANCE
Length : 86 minutes

Director's View:
"The Apple, Which was originally conceived as a documentary picture, provided me with the pretext to carry out a research on the issue of how much playing in the alleys and streets, which is the much exclusive prerogative of the boys, helps men became more social than these woman who do not have the chance of playing in the alleys and streets.
The film was also a means of discovering parents' motives when they act as their children's prison guards. I also wanted to know how it is possible that the people in neighborhood can remain unaware of a virtual prison in their vicinity, or how they could remain indifferent when they became aware of the catastrophe. And frankly I haven't found the answer to this last question".


Director: Samira Makhmalbaf
Director of photography: Ebrahim Ghafouri
Cinematographer: Mohammad Ahmadi
Sound: Behrouz Shahamat
Screenplay & Edit: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Executive Manager: Iraj Sarbaz
Stills and assistant of edit: Maysam Makhmalbaf
Assistants of Director: Marziyeh Meshkini, Akbar Meshkini
Assistant of Cinematography: Reza Sheikhy
Assistants of Sound: Akbar Meshkini, Mahmoud Mosavi Nejad, Hossein Zamany
Script supervisor: Hana Makhmalbaf

Cast:
Masoumeh Naderi
Zahra Naderi
Ghorbanali Naderi
Azizeh mohammadi
Zahra Saghari Saz
Sara Saghari Saz
Amirali khosrojerdi
Amirhossein Khosrojerdi
Soghra Behrouzi
Fatemeh Mahdavi zadeh Charmi
Asghar Meshkini
Iraj Sarbaz
Abbas Ramezan Zadeh

Title Designer: Marziyeh Meshkini
Production: Makhmalbaf Film House, 1997

International Sales: MK2 (France)

FESTIVALS :
1. Cannes Film Festival, France 1998.
Samira MAKHMALBAF is the youngest female director ever to compete at Cannes.

2. Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland 1998.
3. Montreal Film Festival, Canada 1998.
4. Toronto Film Festival, Canada 1998.
5. Telluride Film Festival, USA 1998.
6. New York Film Festival, USA 1998.
7. Sao Paulo Film Festival,Brazil 1998.
8. Carthage Film Festival, Tunisia 1998.
9. Valladolid Film Festival, Spain 1998.
10. Tokyo Film Festival, Japan 1998.
11. London Film Festival, UK 1998.
12. Thessaloniki Film Festival, Greece 1998.
13. Brussels Film Festival, Belgium 1998.
14. Turin Film Festival, Italy 1998.
15. Rotterdam Film Festival, Netherlands 1999.
16. Istanbul Film Festival, Turkey 1999.
17. Helsinki Film Festival, Finland 1999.
18. Independent cinema Festival, Argentina 1999.
19. Munich Film Festival, Germany 1999.
20. Auckland Film Festival, Australia 1999.
21. Wellington Film Festival, Australia 1999.
22. Melbourne Film Festival, Australia 1999.
23. Berlin Film Festival, Germany 1999.
24. Warsaw Film Festival, Poland 1999.
25. Jakarta Film Festival, Indonesia 1999.
26. Tromso Film Festival, Norway 2000.
27. ARCI Milano Film Festival, Italy 2000.
28. Singapore Film Festival, Singapore 2000.
29. Seventh Heaven Film Festival, Finland 2000.
30. Hong Kong Film Festival, China 2000.
31. Festival of film forum in Riga, Lettone 2000.

International Awards:

1. "Sutherland Trophy", London Film Festival 1998, UK.

2. "International Critics prize", Locarno Film Festival 1998, Switzerland.

3. "Jury's Special prize", Thessalonica Film Festival 1998, Greece.

4. "Jury's Special prize", Sao Paulo Film Festival 1998, Brazil.

5. "Jury's Special prize", Independent cinema Festival 1999, Argentina.

6. "Critic's prize", Independent cinema Festival 1999, Argentina.

7. "Audience's prize", Independent cinema Festival 1999, Argentina.