Iran: Teaching Among the Nomads

In the Zagros Mountains, in southwestern Iran, a teacher accompanies a family of nomadic herdsmen, the Bakthyaris, on their spring transhumance. For three weeks, he walks with them, and in the evenings, he gives the children lessons. His mission is to give them a basic education, which is essential if they want to find a job in the city where they hope to settle. The journey is a real race against the cold and wind. It takes them along steep ridges and cliffs, and through narrow crossings and snowy passes. In the end, when the nomads reach their summer camp, the teacher organises exams for the children. This year, the transhumance was particularly significant for this family. It was their last transhumance on foot, heralding a break away from an age-old tradition. Iran: Teaching among the Nomads takes an intimate and poetic look at this little-known people and their lifestyle, which is doomed to disappear. As they share their secrets with us, the film captures the splendour of the mountains and the hopes brought by the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle, something of which many of the children dream. (ZED)