Noora is the first fiction film directed by Mahmoud Shoolizadeh

Mahmoud Shoolizadeh

Mahmoud Shoolizadeh is an Iranian film director and screenwriter, with various awards including Best Film award of the audience for the fiction film Noora in 49th International Film Festival of Taormina in Italy in June 2003...

, it has participated in major international film festivals and has won many awards.
This film is the story of a ten-year old boy who lives with his father, mother, little sister and grandmother in a cottage in one of the jungles in the north of Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

. His little sister became paralyzed in an accident. All the family members start an endeavour to solve the problem, but the boy selects a special way and shows his iron will facing the difficulties.
The two children can recognize a new meaning for life in the process of the story. They reach tranquility through their spiritual ascension.

Director’s View

Noora is simple and without any mysterious complexity. The story, characters and their relations are all simple. It starts with a childish play of a brother (Niaz) and sister (Noora) and then continues in huge developments in their lives. Through passing too many difficult barriers, these lovely children, reach the peak of perfection. Niaz, the ten-year old child experiences the pain of being kind. He grows like a grain and blossoms.
I tried my best to utilize the visual and technical elements that are suitable for the contents of the story. Using the minimum dialogue and transferring the sense and condition by image, utilizing the nature for transferring the concepts, producing a natural, real and live invironment are parts of my goals in making this film in order to create a real belief for the viewers.

Awards

• 1. Best Script award and special appreciation in the 16th International Children and youth film festival Isfahan - October 2001

• 2. Best Child actress award in the 16th International Children and youth film festival Isfahan - October 2001

• 3. Best Set design in 6th Iran Cinema Film Festival - Tehran - September 2002

• 4. Best Music award in 6th Iran Cinema Film Festival - Tehran - September 2002

• 5. Best Director award in the 4th Cima Festival (Iran TV) - Tehran - October 2003

• 6. Best Film award in Azra Film Festival - Tehran - October 2003

• 7. Best Film award of the audience in 49th International Film Festival of Taormina in Italy
  Italy
  Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
  
    June 2003

International

• Arizona International Film Festival in USA , April 2003,

• Taormina International Film Festival in Italy, prize winner as the best film for the audience, June 2003,

• Durham International Film Festival in Britain, June 2003,

• Karlovy Vary
  Karlovy Vary
  Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
  
  International film festival in Czech republic, July 2003,

• Open Air International Film Festival in Germany, Aug 2003,

• Cairo International Film Festival in Egypt, Oct 2003,

• Flanders International Film Festival in Belgium, Oct 2003,

• Golden Elephant International Film Festival in India, Nov 2003,

• Cork International Film Festival in Ireland, Oct 2003,

• Foil International Film Festival in Britain, Nov 2003,

• Olou International Film Festival in Finland, Nov 2003,

• Olympia International Film Festival in Greece, Dec 2003,

• International Film Festival in Turkey, Dec 2003,

• International Film Festival in Tunisia, Dec 2003,

• Auburn Film Festival in Australia, 2003,

• International Children and Young Film Festival in Argentina, 2003,

• Shtootgart International Film Festival in Germany, Jan 2004,

• East Lansing International Film Festival in USA, March 2004,

• Zlin International Film Festival in Czech republic, June 2004,

National (in Iran)

• International youth film festival in Isfahan, 2002,

• Fajr International film festival in Tehran, 2002,

• Great Festival of Iranian cinema in Tehran, 2002,

• Azra film festival in Tehran, 2003,

• The fourth Cima film festival (Iran TV), 2003,