4 Films for domestic and international release
TEHRAN. (Iranart) - English posters for four Iranian films ‘Blockage’ by Mohsen Gharaee, ‘Israfil’ by Ida Panahandeh, ‘Conditional Release’ by Hossein Shahabi and ‘Negar’ by Rambod Javan have been unveiled.
The first two are set to participate in two foreign festivals. ‘Blockage’ has been selected to vie at Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea, Cinematicket.org reported.
Gharaee’s second film premiered at the 35th Fajr Film Festival and was warmly welcomed by the audience. It is among the first ten titles selected for New Currents competition section at the 22nd BIFF, October 12-21; the other films are from South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and India.
The section provides a venue for promising Asian directors to showcase their works. It will be judged by a panel headed by famous US director Oliver Stone and the full line-up announcement for the section is scheduled for September 11.
Vendor & Officer
Having its international premiere at the event, ‘Blockage’ is about a man named Qasem working at Tehran Municipality. His job is to prevent vendors from selling on the sidewalks. However, he is to be fired because of some covert deals with some vendors.
Hamed Behdad, Baran Kosari, Mohsen Kiaei, Nader Fallah and Giti Qasemi are in the cast. The international distribution of the film is by Iranian Independents company managed by Mohammad Atebbai.
‘Israfil’ will be shown at the 61st British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival, October 4-16.
The second feature film by Panahandeh, it will participate in the ‘love’ section of the festival.
Old Flame
The drama deals with human challenges and needs. The story is about Mahi, a widow mourning the death of her only son. One day she bumps into Behrooz, who she had a crush on many years ago but now he is in love with another woman.
According to the festival website, it is a “sensitive Iranian drama of thwarted romance and familial responsibility. Ida Panahandeh’s highly-anticipated second feature is a meticulously constructed reflection on lost love, loneliness and life choices, viewed through the prism of three intersecting lives. Panahandeh sensitively articulates the reasons why their young love was not allowed to flourish and brings into focus its long-term repercussions”.
The cast includes Merila Zarei, Hediyeh Tehrani, Pejman Bazeghi, Soheyla Razavi, Hoda Zeinolabedin and Ali Omrani among others. Its international sale is by DreamLab Films.
Local Releases
‘Conditional Release’ and ‘Negar’ will be released locally in autumn.
Gharaee’s film is a social drama about Kamali, a middle age man who has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. After 10 years behind bars he is released conditionally. Now avoidance of any sort of punishable act, strife and affray is the biggest challenge in front of him.
The cast includes Amir Jafari, Shaqayeq Farahani, Leila Otadi, Amir Reza Delavari, Diba Zahedi and Ahmad Nikpour among others.
Reality vs. Fantasy
‘Negar’ premiered in the 35th Fajr Film Festival and was nominated in eight categories but sufficed with one award.
The movie is centered on a young girl named Negar whose father is dead. The police have ruled it a suicide. He went bankrupt before committing suicide and lost everything, including his house. The new owner evicts Negar and her mother from their home. One night, Negar has a dream about her father in which he gives her clues about his real fate. Waking up, Negar is set to find the truth.
It is Javan’s fourth film in which he has experienced a new genre both in his resume and Iran cinema as well. He is best known as a comedy actor and host and his first three films as a director are all comedies; however, ‘Negar’ is a mix of drama, thriller and fantasy.
Negar Javaherian (Javan’s wife), Mohammad Reza Foroutan, Mani Haqiqi, Ashkan Khatibi, Alireza Aqakhani, Afsaneh Baygan, Atila Pesyani and Alireza Shoja Nouri are in the cast.