NEW DELHI, Aug 5: Six films from Iran are set to be screened in a special showcase of some of the finest cinema from the Middle Eastern country here in the city.
The Festival of Films from Iran is being presented by the Habitat Film Club in collaboration with the Iranian Independents and the Network for the promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC).
The screenings are set to be held between August 9 and August 27.
The programme opens on August 9 with ‘The Bright Day’ (Rooz-e Roshan) directed by Hossein Shahabi. Winner of multiple international awards, it weaves its story like a thriller and takes viewers through the streets and back alleys of Tehran.
The film was shown at the Kerala International Film Festival in 2014, where it won the Silver Pheasant Award for Best Debut Film. It also got Special Mention, Mar del Plata Film Festival in 2014; Diploma Awards for Best Screenplay and Best Actress at the Fajr Film Festival, Tehran, 2013 and the Best Film at the Chicago Film Festival in 2014.
Shahabi studied classical music at Tehran University and went on to teach music for a few years himself. He made his first short film for the centenary of cinema, and since then has directed and produced 20 shorts and 10 features for video release and three for theatrical release. Some of these films have won national and international prizes.
‘Risk of Acid Rain’ (Ehtemal-e Baran-Asidi) directed by Behtash Sanaeeha is set for screening on August 16.
The story is minimalist poetic one of the bitter reality of loneliness. The film was shown at the Jio Mami Festival in Mumbai in 2015.
After graduating in Civil Engineering Behtash Sanaeeha abandoned his Master’s programme in Architecture to write scripts and direct short films, documentaries and commercials. He also wrote and directed two animated TV series and a TV fiction film. ‘Risk of Acid Rain’ is his first feature.
‘Melbourne’ directed by Nima Javidi set for screening on August 23 narrates the story of a married couple which is preparing to move to Melbourne to continue studies.
Javidi, a Mechanical Engineering graduate, began making short films in 1999 and has already made six shorts, two documentaries and more than 30 TV ads. ‘Melbourne’ is his debut feature film.
‘I’m not Angry!’ (Asabani Nistam) set to be shown on August 24 is by Reza Dormishian and is about the story of an expelled university student who – while thinking of how best to provide the basic requirements of a normal life once he is married to his love, – tries not to get angry when faced with the immoralities prevalent in the society, and does all he can not to lose his love.
The film was screened at the Pune International Film Festival this year.
A prominent and distinguished writer-director and screenwriter of the new generation, Reza Dormishian started his career in cinema as a film critic for several newspapers in 1997.
Later, he was an executive editor for cinema books and magazines, and an assistant to several renowned Iranian filmmakers, including Dariush Mehrjui and Alireza Davoodnezhad. He started making short films and documentaries in 2002 at the young age of 21.
‘No Entry for Men’ (Voroud Aghayan Mamnoo) directed by Rambod Javan is a romantic comedy that is set in an all girls’ school. The Olympiad teacher is not able to teach anymore because of her pregnancy. Against her better judgment, the sternly protective spinster principal decides to break the school’s rule for the first time ever and hire a male teacher. A hilarious battle of the sexes ensues.
Javan, an established actor in cinema and television, has created his own style in comedy. He directed television series before turning to cinema. ‘No Entry for Men’, his third film,met with huge success at the box office in Iran.
The final film ‘The Paternal House’ (KhanehPedari) directed by Kianoush Ayari is about the tragedy of an honour killing that won’t let a family rest for multiple generations.
The story begins in 1929 and then, through a series of single-act scenes that take place in ’46, ’66, right up to ’96 the director compares shifting social attitudes while drawing attention to key continuities.
Director, editor, writer and producer Kianoush Ayari began his film career in 1970 when he joined the Free Cinema Group in his hometown Ahwaz. He soon made a name for himself in this experimental trend of amateur cinema. He directed several 8mm short films, including ‘Beyond the Fire’, which he later re-made as a full-length feature film. ‘The Paternal House’ (2012) was screened in the Horizons section of Venice. (PTI)
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