The Iranian French-based film distribution company Noori Pictures will distribute globally the award-winning documentary ‘Zemnako’ directed by Mehdi Ghorbanpour.
The movie, which won the Interfaith Award at the 34th Fajr international Film Festival (FIFF) in April, is the story of a young Kurdish boy named Zemnako who is separated from his family during the Kurdish exodus when Halabja was gassed by the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s army.
The documentary sheds light on the life of Zemnako who lives 22 years separated from his family and finally reunites with them in Halabja, Iranian Kurdistan region, Mehr News Agency reported.
On March 16, 1988, Halabja, a border town in Iraqi Kurdistan, was attacked with bombs, artillery fire, and poison gas by Saddam Hussein’s army.
The documentary has won several other awards in Iran, including the best documentary film award of ‘Cinema Verite’ as well as the best documentary award of ‘Iranian House of Cinema’.
Ghorbanpour, 37, was born in the northern Iranian city of Babol. He has studied Persian literature and made more than 20 documentaries on social issues. His movie has been shown in many international events and collected some awards as well. He is also a professional journalist and has written many stories for children.
Noori Pictures was founded by Iranian producer Katayoon Shahabi in 2012. In 2014 and 2015, the company released Rakhshan Bani-Etemad’s ‘Tales’, ‘Wednesday, May 9’ by Vahid Jalilvand and ‘Ida’ by Nahid Panahandeh which were awarded in Venice and Cannes Film Festivals.
In Cannes 2016, she was one of the jury members for the main competition section where Asghar Farhadi’s ‘The Salesman’ won two awards.
Expressing his delight over the international distribution of his film by Shahabi, Ghorbanpour said, “She is a professional figure in the field and I am sure if Iranian documentaries can be seen in the international arena, it would help improve the status of Iran cinema in the world”.
The movie is now being chosen for top festivals.
