Sanaeiha in Bergman Award Jury Panel

Iranian screenwriter and film director Behtash Sanaeiha has been selected as a member of the jury of the Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award at the 41st Göteborg Film Festival in Sweden, January 26-February 5. According to the official website of the event, Sanaeiha will be one of the four-member jury panel who will present the award to “a debutant who in their film treats an existential theme that has a dynamic or experimental approach to the cinematic means of expression.”  The award includes an opportunity to attend the intensive film workshop held every year during the Bergman Week at the Bergman Centre on Fårö, off the north coast of Gotland in the Baltic. The Bergman Centre and Foundation is a meeting place with a focus on Ingmar Bergman’s life’s work and artistic achievements. Ingmar Bergman Debut Award was established in collaboration with renowned Swedish director, writer and producer Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) who was the honorary chairman of the Göteborg Film Festival until his death.  The festival is held annually at the end of January and shows 450 films from 85 countries. The audience grows each year making the festival the largest film event in Scandinavia. Sanaeiha, 39, is best known for his directorial debut in ‘Risk of Acid Rain’ (2015) which won the Special Jury Prize at the 2nd International Film Festival of Colombo in 2015.  In this year’s Göteborg Festival, six Iranian cinematic productions are participating, among which ‘Ava’ made by Sadaf Foroughi is competing in the Ingmar Bergman section.