''The Black Tulip'' is a 2010 film directed by novice filmmaker

Sonia Nassery Cole Sonia Nassery Cole (born 1965) is an Afghan Americans, Afghan-born American human rights activist, filmmaker, and author. Early life Sonia Nassery Cole was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, the daughter of an Afghan diplomat.. At fourteen, she fled Af ...

and starring Haji Gul Aser, Sonia Nassery Cole, Walid Amini,

Jack Scalia Jack Scalia (born November 10, 1950) is an American actor. He has had many roles in television series (both as a regular and as a guest-star), television movies, and feature films. He is perhaps best known for his role as Chris Stamp on ''All My ...

, and Edoardo Costa. It is set in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Premise

The film depicts the fictional Mansouri family who start a restaurant in Kabul named The Poets' Corner, where artists and writers meet. The story centers on Farishta (Cole), the woman who runs the cafe. The Poets' Corner serves wine in teapots and has poetry readings by locals and members of the U.S. military. This ultimately angers the Taliban and they begin kidnapping and assassinating the family and patrons of the cafe.

Cast

* Sonia Nassery Cole as Farishta Mansouri * Haji Gul Aser as Hadar Mansouri * Walid Amini as Akram Zabuli * Somaia Razaya as Belkis Mansouri *

as Colonel Williams * Edoardo Costa as Colonel Tanelli * Samir Rassoly as Mustafa * Hosna Tanha as Bobo Jan * Sayed Rahim Sayeedi as Majuba * Basir Mujaheed as Amanullah * Shafi Sahel as Old Afghan Poet * Payenda Joyenda as Gul * Sadaf Yarmal as Satara Mansouri

Production

According to the film's director, Sonia Nassery Cole, a few weeks before the movie was to begin filming in Afghanistan, Taliban militants caught Zarifa Jahon, an actress Cole said she had wanted to cast in the film, and cut off her feet as punishment. Cole then cast herself in the lead role instead. When questioned about the lack of evidence about the event, Cole later claimed that the actress had told her in a telephone call about the amputations, and said that the woman asked her to leave her alone for her own safety. However, Latif Ahmadi, the head of the Afghan Film Organization, said he thought Cole's statement was "propaganda for the film" and he didn't believe it had happened. According to an article in ''The New York Times,'' many others in the film industry in Kabul had said they had never heard of such an actress nor of such an episode. According to Cole, the film's cinematographer, a producer and a set designer had all abandoned her "in the middle of production." Michael Carney, the production designer, who had worked on the film in Afghanistan for two months, said he completed his agreed upon contract which had him leaving four days before the film completed shooting. "I could feel death," said Keith Smith, the original cinematographer. "I didn't sign up for that." The film was largely financed by Cole.

Reception

The film premiered 23 September 2010, at the Ariana Cinema Theater in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

, Afghanistan. There were advance screenings at the headquarters of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and at the embassy. Some Afghan attendees at the premiere challenged certain scenes in the film as not being faithful to Afghan culture or tradition. The film was selected for screening as Afghanistan's entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

83rd Academy Awards The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2010 in the United States and took place on February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beg ...

but didn't make the January shortlist. Two songs featured in the film, "Forever One Love" and "Freedom Song", were also in contention for the Best Original Song Academy Award. On the

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, 25% of 12 critics' reviews are positive. Critics praised the film's "sense of place", but took issue with acting and "preachy dialogue."

References

External links