Abbas Kiarostami - Bozorgdasht-e mo’Allem AKA Tribute to the Teachers (1977)

SYNOPSIS:
An assignment from the Ministry of Education, this documentary from the last years of the Pahlavi dynasty includes interviews with government officials who predictably praise teaching as a sacred, noble, and honorable profession. The teachers who are also interviewed are less starry-eyed: one speaks of ungrateful students and the job’s poor pay. The contrasting views reflect Kiarostami’s interest in education while registering some of his reservations about how it is practiced.