Art And Culture
0

10 Iranian Productions at Busan Int’l Event

10 Iranian Productions at Busan Int’l Event
10 Iranian Productions at Busan Int’l Event

Movie productions by Iranians have always stirred interest among foreign audiences for the message they carry, usually thematizing on moral issues and focusing on families.

Following the path prominent directors Abbas Kiarostami, Majid Majidi and Asghar Farhadi took in the past to imprint the name of Iran on the global movie industry, a new generation of filmmakers has furthered the aim through innovation in both form and content, making Iranian productions indispensible at international events.

A total of 10 films from Iran are taking part in the 20th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, September 30-October 10, in Busan, South Korea, Mehr News Agency reported.

Six films represent Iran at the Window on Asian Cinema section, ‘Avalanche’ by Morteza Farshbaf, ‘Nahid’ by Ida Panahandeh, ‘Paradise’ by Sina Dena-Ataeian, ‘The Long Farewell’ by Farzad Motamen, ‘The Man Who Became a Horse’ by Amir-Hossein Saqafi, ‘The Sea and the Flying Fish’ by Mehrdad Ghaffarzadeh.

The story of ‘Avalanche’ is about Homa, a seasoned nurse (Fatemeh Motamed-Aria) who suffers from unprecedented insomnia. One of the judges remarked that Farshbaf “set a new standard in poetic films”.

It is the international premiere for ‘Avalanche’, the second feature film by Farshbaf, who won the New Currents Award at the BIFF with his debut film ‘Mourning’.

‘Nahid’ which won the Promising Future Prize at the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes 2015 depicts the life of Nahid (Sareh Bayat, known for ‘Separation’), a recent divorcee and single mother, struggling through life with her adolescent son.

‘The Long Farewell’ is also seeing its international premier. Saeed Aqakhani won the best actor award for his role in the film at the 33rd Fajr International Film Festival. The film is centered on Yahya (Aqakhani) who is falsely accused of murder but is found innocent and returns to normal life. However, he is not welcomed by the staff of the textile factory he works for and his neighbors.

‘The Man Who Became a Horse’ is also screened for the first time outside Iran. It is based on Anton Chekhov’s short story ‘Sorrow’, which tells the story of a man who, on the way to the hospital with his sick wife, complains about the life he has led and later feels remorse.

‘The Sea and the Flying Fish’ received an Honorary Diploma as the Critics Award for Best Film at the 37th Moscow International Film Festival in June.

The social drama is about a teenage boy Ehsan who is a young, innocent deaf and dumb inmate of a correctional camp and communicates through painting.

In the New Currents section, two Iranian films compete with six others: ‘Black Horse Memories’ by Shahram Alidi and ‘Immortal’ by Hadi Mohaqeq.

Wide Angle section comprises 72 short, documentary and animated films including ‘Rapture’ by Nima Farahi, from Iran. Both the 20-minute film by Farahi and documentary will have its world premiere.

‘Close Up’ by Abbas Kiarostami is also screened at the ‘Asian Cinema 100’ section, which shows the top Asian documentaries of all time.

The festival, held annually in Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. It is one of the 22 festivals accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) as a non-specialized competitive film festival.

Financialtribune.com