What can I say more than the reviewer/user prior? This is truly a wonderful film. I saw it on the last day of our International Film Festival and somehow the word must have 'got around' as the cinema was well filled! As the previous writer noted, the relationship between the locals and the film-makers must have been excellent. I noted carefully the credits on its conclusion and most seem to be Euro/Anglo names - again interesting, that alone adds credit.
The blurbs prior made much of the negative attitudes of the traditional people, but a tremendous joy of this film is that the father was totally behind and with his 13-yr old all the way. The empathy and shared loved of the task and each other was greatly inspiring. He was a tremendous teacher. The context of the piece with its daily and dramatic challenges with almost none of 1st World intervention (okay - they had trucks, wore jeans, sweat-shirts etc at the school, but today nowhere in the world is cut off from some 'western' features, is it?) I think one class shown was in beginner English.
A viewer should not miss the deep but never forced spiritual/religious impetus. Is this part of world of 'old Islam' does anyone know?