Stray Dogs
Filmfest 2006

With their mother in prison, a young brother and sister visit her every night to sleep with her in her cell. However, when these ‘night prisoners’ are suddenly refused entry, they take to the streets of Kabul to get themselves arrested in order to return to her side. With a small dog they rescued from a group of children as their companion, the pair venture into an adult world that they must understand fast in order to survive. Marziyeh Meshkini follows her feature debut THE DAY I BECAME A WOMAN with a child’s-eye odyssey that’s by turn colourful, comic, tragic and wise. Shot in Afghanistan in 2003 and set on the 2nd anniversary of 9/11, the film is based on real-life situations that Meshkini encountered... One choice scene makes explicit the link between contemporary Iranian cinema and Italian neo-realism, just one of many neat touches in this beautiful, memorable film. David Cox, The 2005 London Film Festival