Iranian feature film ‘Risk of Acid Rain’, Behtash Sanaeiha’s directorial debut, won the jury special prize at the 2nd International Film Festival of Colombo (IFFC), Sri Lanka (Nov. 6-11).
This year’s festival had two competitive streams for feature films, under the categories ‘Asian’ and ‘Sri Lankan’.
Ten critically acclaimed films produced in Asia in 2014 and 2015 were short listed to compete in the final round of the Asian film competition where Sanaeiha’s film won the jury award.
It is a minimal poetic story that depicts the life of Manuchehr, a 60-year-old retiree from a tobacco company, who still insists on going to work while struggling with the loneliness of retirement. When his mother passes away, Manuchehr, who is not married with no other relatives, sets off on a journey to try to find his one and only old friend in Tehran.
The 2014 production has attended several foreign events and won the Netpac Award in Australia, Mehr News Agency reported.
Music for the film is by the Swedish composer Henrik Nagi who is known for his cooperation with Iranian musicians and his recent album using music compilation from the Persian poet Khayyam.
Noted author Shams Langeroodi and Maryam Moqaddam act in the film. It was premiered at the ‘New Vision’ section of the 33rd Fajr Film Festival, dedicated to screening works by first-time filmmakers. Written by Sanaeiha and Moqaddam, it won an honorary diploma for the best original screenplay.
Born in Tehran, Moqaddam was educated at the International School of Performing Art in Sweden. From 2006-2010, she acted in a few theater plays on Swedish stage.
Langeroodi, 64, is one of the most prominent literary figures in Iran. He has published more than 15 books in Persian and his poems have been translated into many languages.
Renowned actress Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, 54, was one of the festival jury members. She has performed in more than 50 films, stage plays and television series and has won several national and international awards. She is also a professor of cinema and theater in Isfahan.
The main goal of this event was to position Sri Lankan cinema on a global map and to introduce globally recognized art-house movies which do not come as commercial releases to local cinema audiences. The festival also exposed local films and filmmakers to the world.
