The Cyclist (Persian: بايسيكلران, romanizedBicycleran) is a 1987 Iranian sports-drama film written and directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, starring Moharram Zaynalzadeh as Abu Ahmed.

The Cyclist
Directed byMohsen Makhmalbaf
Written byMohsen Makhmalbaf
CinematographyAli Reza Zarrindast
Edited byMohsen Makhmalbaf
Music byMajid Entezami
Production
company
Bonyad Mostazafan
Distributed byFilmarti
Cinéma Public Films
Facets Multimedia Distribution
Kino Video
Running time
82 minutes
CountryIran
LanguagePersian

Plot

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Nasim, a poor Afghan refugee in Iran, gives a demonstration in his town's square, during which he rides his bicycle without stopping for seven days and seven nights, with the aim of raising money to pay for life-saving surgery for his dying wife. In the end, even after seven days, he continues to pedal endlessly, too fatigued to hear his son's and the crowd's pleas to get off his bicycle.[1] One scholar analyses the film as an allegory which parallels the exploitation that Afghan refugees suffer from in Iran and from which they are unable to escape.[2]

Accolades

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In 1991 the film won the best narrative film award in the Hawaii International Film Festival.[3]

See also

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References

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  • Adelkhah, Fariba; Olszewska, Zuzanna (2007), "The Iranian Afghans", Iranian Studies, 40 (2): 137–165, doi:10.1080/00210860701269519, S2CID 159791018
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