Part of 100 years of Youssef Chahine

Do Bigha Zamin is the dramatic tale of a farmer’s struggle to save his land from the clutches of a rapacious landlord. Given three months to pay off his debts, the farmer moves to the city, where he takes up work as a rickshaw-puller, while his son becomes a shoeshine boy. They find a home and friendship in the slums, but are also tested cruelly by the city. Battling setbacks with a deepening sense of despair, they race against time to raise the money, but fail in the task. Though the land is lost, and a factory stands where they once tilled the soil, we see that the family has survived their ordeal with dignity and moral values intact.