Cartoon Saloon‘s third animated feature film, based on Canadian author Deborah Ellis’s best-selling 2001 children’s novel, tells the story of Parvana, an 11-year-old girl forced by circumstance to become the breadwinner for her family in war-torn Taliban-era Afghanistan.

Parvana (Saara Chaudry), a young girl living in Kabul under the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan at the outset of the War on Terror, witnesses the unjust arrest of her father, Nurullah (Ali Badshah), a former school teacher turned hawker after losing his left leg in the Soviet–Afghan War. The arrest is precipitated by Idrees (Noorin Gulamgaus), a volatile young Taliban who believes Nurullah insulted him earlier that day at the market.

The Taliban’s oppressive rules forbid women from leaving their homes without a male relative and require them to cover their bodies completely. Parvana’s family—including her mother, Fattema (Laara Sadiq); her older sister, Soraya (Shaista Latif); and her youngest infant brother, Zaki (Lily Erlinghauser) — is left without a means of support after her older brother, Sulayman, died years ago. The only male member of her family is too young to work. Fattema and Parvana decide to visit the prison to appeal Nurullah’s arrest, but they are caught and assaulted. Forced to return home, they are threatened with jail time if they are caught outside again.

Later, Parvana sneaks out to buy food for her family, but every merchant is too afraid to sell to her because of her gender. No one wants to risk punishment for breaking the Taliban’s rules by helping a girl. Parvana ingeniously cuts her hair and dresses like a boy, assuming the new identity of Aatish, a nephew of Nurullah’s. Her plan succeeds, allowing her to buy food and resume her father’s job of reading letters for illiterate people.

Parvana befriends Shauzia (Soma Bhatia), another young girl disguised as a boy to support her family. Shauzia dreams of saving enough money to escape her abusive father. She also advises Parvana that a bribe is necessary to visit her father in prison.

The sight of her young daughter constantly breaking the rules and taking dangerous jobs is unbearable for Fattema. She writes to a distant relative in Mazar, arranging a marriage for her eldest daughter and youngest son in exchange for a place to live and protection.

his animated feature film depicts women living in fear and male dominance, stripped of their rights and freedom, resembling the 2007 film Persepolis. However, The Breadwinner excels in immersing the audience in a world of violent oppression at a whole new level.

The juxtaposition of the harsh realities with the fantastical world of fairy tales, creating a visually stunning and emotionally resonant film. The animation deftly captures the brutality of the war-torn streets of Kabul and the magic of Parvana’s imagination, culminating in an unpredictable and heartrending twist that elevates this film to the ranks of the best animated feature films of the year.

The Breadwinner premiered at Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2017. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 17 November. It received a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 90th Academy Awards.

Awards

• Best Independent Animated Feature — Annie Awards (2018)
• Best Adapted Screenplay — Canadian Screen Awards (2018)
• Best Sound Editing — Canadian Screen Awards (2018)
• Best Original Score — Canadian Screen Awards (2018)
• Best Original Song — Canadian Screen Awards (2018)
• Best Animated Film — Los Angeles Film Critics Association (2018)