Turtles Can Fly
← Back to Home

Turtles Can Fly

2004 1h 38m ★ 7.7 (236 votes) Released

Turtles Can Fly tells the story of a group of young children near the Turkey-Iraq border. They clean up mines and wait for the Saddam regime to fall.

Director

Bahman Ghobadi

Screenplay

Bahman Ghobadi

Rating
7.7
Runtime
98 min
Revenue
$1.1M

Production

Bac Films Bac Films
Mij Film Co.
Bahman Ghobadi Films

Top Billed Cast

Videos & Trailers

Gallery

Audience Reviews

G
griggs79
★ 9/10 Jun 23, 2025

_Turtles Can Fly_ is a haunting anti-war film set in a Kurdish refugee camp before the 2003 Iraq invasion. Shot with real refugee children, it captures displacement with raw authenticity. “Satellite,” a savvy teen, leads landmine-clearing kids with dry humour and grit. The performances, shaped by lived trauma, hit hard. The final moments are devastating but never exploitative. Not an easy watch—unforgettable and vital.

Keywords

suiciderapemuslimrefugeevillagelandminetankbicycleiraqdead childsoldierkurdistanchildren in wartime

More Like This

20 titles

Recommended For You

20 titles