ALL THE MOUNTAINS GIVE

Due to widespread poverty in the Kurdish cities of Iran, many people have to smuggle household
goods by carrying them over Iran and Iraq’s perilous border to earn a living. This form of smuggling is called Kolbari and the people who do this job are called Kolbar. Today, about
400,000 Kurdish people are involved in Kolbari and every year about 200 Kolbar are killed or
injured being shot by security agents, falling from the mountains, stepping on landmines, or
freezing from the cold. Documented over the course of six years, filmmaker Arash Rakhsha
presents an intimate portrait of Hamid and Yaser, two close friends living in a Kurdish village who
are forced into kolbari.

ARASH RAKHSHA

Born in 1985, Kermanshah [Kurdistan, Iran], Arash Rakhsha grew up in a poor family who had a love and passion for great art and literature. At an early age, his father encouraged him to read great works from around the world and he soon found himself emersed in the novels of Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Salinger, and Faulkner. Step by step he discovered that storytelling could be a powerful tool that teaches kindness, empathy, and tolerance.
After being accepted to the dramatic literature program at the University of Tehran, Arash started to work in a photo agency which ignited his passion for photography. After a trusted professor came across his work, he was encouraged to pursue a degree in cinematography. He has dedicated himself to the craft ever since. This is his directorial debut.

• Edinburgh IFF, UK
• DOC NYC, USA
• One World, Czech Republic
• Trento Film Festival, Italy

Main Competition 2025