Children of Heaven

A 1997 Iranian drama directed by Majid Majidi. The film tells a heartwarming story about a brother and sister, Ali (Amir Farrokh Hashemian) and Zahra (Bahare Seddiqi), who come from a poor family in Tehran. When Ali accidentally loses his sister’s only pair of shoes, the siblings decide to keep it a secret from their parents, knowing they cannot afford a new pair. They come up with a plan to share one pair of shoes—Zahra wears them to school in the morning, and Ali takes them in the afternoon. Later, Ali learns about an upcoming running competition where third place wins a new pair of shoes, and he enters the race with hopes of solving their problem. The film received worldwide acclaim for its simplicity and emotional depth and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.