IMDb 6.3 2008 HD

Niloofar

Niloofar

2008
Drama
80 min NR Iran
4 / 10
6.3 IMDB

Niloofar is a twelve-year-old girl whose dream is to read and write, but she lives in a village where education is only for boys. Her mother, a well-known…

Personnel // Cast & Crew

Director Sabine El Gemayel / Reza Masoudi
Starring
Fatemeh Motamed-Arya / Shahab Hosseini / Roya Nownahali / Hengame Ghaziani / Amir Aghaei / Nayereh Farahani / Reza Masoudi

How Viewers Describe This Film

Common themes and sentiments

hopeful determined resilient oppressive traditional defiant educational patriarchal courageous poignant thought-provoking

Reviews

C
Chloe Dubois
May 3, 2026
3.5 / 5
3.5

Director Unknown’s 'Niloofar' offers a compelling, if understated, look at a young girl's defiance in the face of societal expectations. The film centres on Niloofar, a twelve-year-old whose ambition to read and write clashes with the limited opportunities…

L
Liam O'Connell
May 3, 2026
4.5 / 5
4.5

This is a film that lingers long after the credits roll. 'Niloofar' tackles profound social issues with a quiet grace that belies its emotional power. The story of a young girl, Niloofar, desperate for an education denied to…

S
Sophia Chen
May 3, 2026
3.0 / 5
3.0

'Niloofar' is a sensitive exploration of a young girl's burgeoning awareness and her resistance against deeply entrenched patriarchal norms. The narrative follows Niloofar, whose desire for literacy is met with societal limitations, pushing her towards an apprenticeship under…

M
Marcus Bellweather
May 3, 2026
4.0 / 5
4.0

In 'Niloofar', we witness a powerful microcosm of gender inequality, expertly crafted by an unseen director. The story of Niloofar, a spirited twelve-year-old yearning for knowledge in a world that denies it to her, is both heartbreaking and…

E
Eleanor Vance
May 3, 2026
3.5 / 5
3.5

Director Unknown’s 'Niloofar' presents a poignant, albeit familiar, tale of a young girl's fight for education and autonomy. The narrative centres on twelve-year-old Niloofar, whose dreams of literacy are thwarted by a society favouring boys' education. The introduction…

FAQs

Faced with a prearranged marriage to an older man, Niloofar employs a strategy of delaying her first menstrual cycle. This act of defiance is a desperate measure to postpone the physical and social transition into womanhood, which would trigger her impending marriage and further solidify the loss of her freedom. Her efforts highlight her profound desire for control over her own life.