International Competition

Film documents the highly dangerous work of Kurdish kulbars, workers who try to support their families by transporting goods across the Iranian border. On foot, they carry their loads along mountain paths that are rocky, steep, and either slippery due to snow or blisteringly hot. Along the way, many of them suffer injuries, die in blizzards, or are shot by border police. The film crew followed these workers for nine years to document the impact of living like a human pack mule. Film gives exposure to a group of mostly men, who, driven by poverty, hunger, and despair, operate in the margins of society.