This year the Cinekid Film, Television and New Media Festival in the Netherlands has dedicated a section to Iran dubbed ‘Discover Iran’, which will screen three films.
‘The Promise’ directed by Mohammad-Ali Talebi, ‘My Mother’s Blue Sky’ by Ali Qavitan and Behzad Rafiei’s ‘Ranna Silence’ are Iranian feature films attending the Dutch festival, Mehr News Agency reported.
‘The Promise’ recounts the story of a 15-year-old boy Pouria who feels guilty after something tragic happens to his best friend Daniel. He decides not to reveal their secret. Slowly but surely, the viewer finds out what happened.
The 2014 production is made with a tight budget, a small crew and only a few actors. At the Isfahan International Festival of Films for Children and Young Adults, it won six awards, including the prize for Best Picture. It also attended the Montreal World Film Festival.
‘My Mother’s Blue Sky’ tells the story of a widowed mother Sara and her eight-year-old son Amir who try to safeguard their coal mine on a hill far from their village. When Amir’s mother dies in the mine, the village council decides to bring Amir, who is living in the mountain all by himself, back to the village. But Amir is adamant, since he wants to realize his mother’s wishes.
It is a poignant film about child labor and the harsh conditions in which both children and adults live.
‘Ranna Silence’ is about a seven-year-old Iranian girl, Ranna, and her beloved chicken, Kakoli in a village in northern Iran. The hen has laid seven eggs that are about to hatch, when one stormy night Kakoli suddenly disappears. Ranna is inconsolable; her brother and his friend try their utmost to put things right.
The film shows children going on a quest in a friendly story in which they learn the difference between right and wrong.
The 29th edition of the festival will be held October 17-23 at the Westergasfabriek, a cultural venue, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Afghan Festival
‘A House in Fog’, a documentary by Iranian director Mokhtar Namdar, is participating in the 3rd Afghanistan International Women’s Film Festival in Herat.
The event considers films made on women or directed by them. The 2015 edition is currently underway and wraps up on October 15.
The documentary won the Grand Prix at Srem Film Festival in Serbia. It was earlier screened at the 4th Iranian Film Festival in the Czech Republic and also competed at the Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto.
It recounts the story of a woman Soraya who lives in solitude in a mansion in a hilly landscape. The house is the only reason she tolerates all the hardships of living alone.
