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IMDbPro

My Sweet Pepper Land

  • 2013
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
Golshifteh Farahani and Korkmaz Arslan in My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
After the fall of Saddam Hussein, Baran, a Kurdish independence war hero, resolves to accept a position in a godforsaken village at the borders of Iran and Turkey, an illegal trafficking Mecca.
There he meets Govend, a beautiful young woman who has come to work as the teacher in the newly-opened school despite her twelve brothers' hostility to the idea.
Play trailer1:51
1 Video
9 Photos
Drama

Baran, a Kurdish independence war hero, is now sheriff in Erbil, the capital city. No longer feeling useful in this society now at peace, he thinks about quitting the police force, but inste... Read allBaran, a Kurdish independence war hero, is now sheriff in Erbil, the capital city. No longer feeling useful in this society now at peace, he thinks about quitting the police force, but instead agrees to be stationed in a small valley, at the very borders of Iran, Turkey, and Iraq... Read allBaran, a Kurdish independence war hero, is now sheriff in Erbil, the capital city. No longer feeling useful in this society now at peace, he thinks about quitting the police force, but instead agrees to be stationed in a small valley, at the very borders of Iran, Turkey, and Iraq. It is a lawless territory, right at the heart of illegal drug, medication and alcohol tr... Read all

  • Director
    • Hiner Saleem
  • Writers
    • Hiner Saleem
    • Antoine Lacomblez
  • Stars
    • Korkmaz Arslan
    • Golshifteh Farahani
    • Suat Usta
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    2.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Hiner Saleem
    • Writers
      • Hiner Saleem
      • Antoine Lacomblez
    • Stars
      • Korkmaz Arslan
      • Golshifteh Farahani
      • Suat Usta
    • 15User reviews
    • 37Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 5 nominations

    Videos1

    My Sweet Pepper Land - Trailer
    Trailer 1:51
    Watch My Sweet Pepper Land - Trailer

    Photos9

    My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
    Korkmaz Arslan in My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
    Golshifteh Farahani and Korkmaz Arslan in My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
    Golshifteh Farahani in My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
    Feyyaz Duman and Mir Murad Bedirxan in My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
    My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
    Golshifteh Farahani and Korkmaz Arslan in My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
    Golshifteh Farahani in My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Korkmaz Arslan
    Korkmaz Arslan
    • Baran
    Golshifteh Farahani
    Golshifteh Farahani
    • Govend
    Suat Usta
    • Reber
    Mir Murad Bedirxan
    Mir Murad Bedirxan
    • Tajdin
    Feyyaz Duman
    Feyyaz Duman
    • Jaffar Mohammed Emin
    Tarik Akreyî
    • Aziz Aga
    Véronique Wüthrich
    • Nîroj
    Mizgin Gemo
    • Zirek
    Kamiran Betasi
    • The Judge
    Adil Abdolrahman
    • The Commisionner
    • (as Adil Abdulrahman)
    Bahman Haci
    • Sadu
    • (as Bahman Haji)
    Nzar Salami
    • The Commisionner
    • (as Nizar Salami)
    Sivan Salim
    • Govend's Father
    • (as Shivan Salim)
    Yilmaz Özdil
    • The Hanged Man
    • (as Yilmaz Ozdil)
    Hiner Saleem
    Hiner Saleem
    • The Photographer
    Mahmud Abdurahman
    • The Innkeeper
    Dildar Ismail
    • Govend's Brother
    Ahmed Adel
    • Ali
    • Director
      • Hiner Saleem
    • Writers
      • Hiner Saleem
      • Antoine Lacomblez
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Award : Prix de la Jeunesse au Festival du Film Romantique de Cabourg 2013.
    • Goofs
      All entries contain spoilers
    • Quotes

      Baran: You're too brave to accept this.

      Govend: No one wanted this village. And the children here, they needed education. I like it here. I like the children.

      Baran: No one forced you.

      Govend: No. I always wanted to study till I was 26. And now, I feel too old for here.

      Baran: How old are you?

      Govend: 28. But I got one thing. If you're not married at this age, people think there's something wrong with you.

    • Soundtracks
      La chanson des blés d'or
      Lyrics by Camille Soubise and L. Lemaître

      Music by Frédéric Doria

      (1882)

    User reviews15

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    A classic western from Kurdistan
    Anyone who reads international news reports, knows that Iraqi Kurdistan is now in the centre of major geopolitical developments. Kurdish fighters, called peshmerga, are trying to repel the radical Islamic State, with the assistance of the US.

    It's interesting background information, because 'My Sweet Pepper Land' is a film about a peshmerga fighter. The film is set in the period after the war against Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi Kurds have created their own, autonomous region and are trying to rebuild law and order. Former peshmerga fighter Baran takes part in that effort, not so much because of idealistic reasons, but to get away from his mother who is desperate to arrange a marriage for her son. He gets a job as the new police officer in a remote village near the Turkish border.

    On his way to the village, which can only be reached on foot or on horseback because of a destroyed bridge, he meets another new government official: Govend, the pretty school teacher. She is also trying to escape an arranged marriage, set up by her father.

    But the villagers are not keen on education for their children, nor on law enforcement. They rather rely on protection from a local criminal, who arranges illegal smuggling activities in the remote, mountainous area. Soon, both Baran and Govend clash with this man. Against all odds, they stubbornly defend what they think is right.

    The director was clearly influenced by the classic westerns. He cleverly inserts western elements in this Kurdish setting. The horses, the hats, the long, fur-lined coats, the guns everyone is carrying - it makes Kurdistan look like the American wild west. The story itself is of course a classic western theme: a lone man fights for justice in a hostile environment, and at the same time provides protection for the local beauty.

    The mix of Kurdish and western elements make this a nice and enjoyable film. It also provides insight in the Kurdish culture and history. The opening scene for example is at the same time hilarious and tragic: it shows how officials from the new Kurdish government clumsily try to hang a criminal. The man is standing on a ballot box with the rope around his neck.

    One last remark: the soundtrack partly consists of beautiful music played by school teacher Govend on a very distinct musical instrument. You're inclined to think that this is a traditional Kurdish instrument, but actually it is a Hang, a Swiss invention from 2001.
    helpful•10
    2
    • rubenm
    • Aug 16, 2014

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 27, 2014 (Germany)
    • Countries of origin
      • Iraq
      • France
      • Germany
      • Iran
    • Languages
      • Kurdish
      • Arabic
      • Turkish
    • Also known as
      • Tierra de paprika
    • Filming locations
      • Kurdistan, Iraq
    • Production companies
      • Agat Films & Cie
      • Rohfilm
      • HS Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €2,600,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $324,440
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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