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How Samira made The Blackboard
A documentary about Samira Makhmalbaf and the making of her second film, The Blackboard. The documentary is interesting, even if you have not seen her films, because of this view into Iranian film culture.
Samira Makhmalbaf was the first female in Iran to direct a feature film, "The Apple." She was 17 years old. That film is based upon a true story of two girls who were kept locked in their home for 11 years and, when finally discovered, were found to be "feral children" who could not speak a language. Makhmalbaf's father is the multiple-award-winning Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf. His movie that was a love letter to cinema, Once Upon a Time, Cinema, is available via youtube, but I won't link to it here.
Here's a clip from Samira Makhmalbaf's first feature, The Apple. The movie is available via per per view via online sites.