Watch ifilm weekend flick tonight "For a Pair of Sneakers"

Don't miss award-winning Iranian movie 'Children of Heaven' this weekend on ifilm reviewed by the US daily The New York Times as a flick "for a pair of sneakers."

The masterpiece at the helm of mega director Majid Majidi was reviewed in 1999 by a film critic published in the NYT. Below are some highlights of this review:

1. Events in the film are seen through the children's ingenuous eyes, as is so often and artfully the case in Iranian films

2. In ''Children of Heaven', life is sweet despite countless hardships, and no reality beyond the economic intrudes upon a fairy tale atmosphere.

3. In 'Children of Heaven', life in Teheran is documented in everyday detail, from the less desirable potatoes available to Ali's family to the way a woolen garment is carefully unraveled so it can be knitted into something else.

4. The film's two young stars are as guileless as possible, even when the film contrives to turn the shoe issue into its main dramatic focus.

5. Ali, against all odds, determines to run a long-distance race and win the third-place prize of running shoes for Zahra.

6. 'Children of Heaven' does provide a kindly, enveloping sense of Iranian life and customs.

"On his way back from the shoemaker, Ali loses his sister’s shoes. Since they’re from a poor family and are afraid to break the news to their parents, Ali comes up with a plan to share his pair of sneakers with Zahra so that she’ll be able to go to school. When Ali hears of an upcoming regional cross-country race, with a pair of brand-new sneakers as the third prize, he decides to enter the competition and finish third at all cost," a synopsis for Majid's masterpiece reads.

AG/AG