Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Kandahar did sell-out business on its first theatrical engagement in North America. The Afghanistan-set film opened October 26 - October 28 in Toronto and Montreal through distributor Seville Pictures. Box office was $34,831 (C$54,986) from just two screens for a stunning screen average of $17,415.

Seville plans to add two further screens in Toronto on Nov. 2 and an additional five on Nov. 9 with openings in Vancouver, Edmonton and Quebec City.

The story of a young Afghan refugee trying to return to the Taleban-ruled region to reunite with her war-scarred sibling, the film was sure to pique interest at a time when Afghanistan is a preoccupation of the North American news media.

The film, which was awarded the Ecumenical prize at Cannes, recently won the Fellini Prize, a humanitarian award given by UNESCO.