Hakemzadeh is commissioned by the Ministry of Culture to travel with a mobile open-ait cinema through the mountainous green north of Iran. Trekking from one remote spot to the next, traveling with his young son, Hakemzadeh finds himself in an isolated village where people have never seen a film.

The open-air cinema is so impressive that not even a storm can dampen the spirits of the awe-struck viewers, enthralled by an old Chaplin film. After the comedy, Hakemzadeh runs an Iranian drama with a story that echoes the situation of a young girl of the village. She prays she will marry the man of her dreams rather than the old gentleman she has been promised to.

The quirks and foibles of the civil servant Hakemzadeh, his son's adaptability, the insular forest community and their customs provide a rich source of dramatic and comic interactions. The cinematography works to maximise the film's exploration of the natural landscape as the camera glides across mystical, primordial forest, creating an array of moods and textures.

In Paper Airplanes modern achievements are meticulously weighed against the advantages of a traditional life close to nature. In simple, human terms Mehranfar describes abstract issues such as the transfer of knowledge and the boundaries between legend, art and reality. A multilayered, bewitching film of quiet strength.