Vesoul Int’l Festival of Asian Cinema to screen Iran couple films

Two Iranian movies, ‘About Elly’ and ‘Leila’, have been selected to go on screen at the 25th edition of the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema in France.

‘Leila’ (1996) directed by Dariush Mehrjouee and ‘About Elly’ (2011) directed by Asghar Farhadi will be screened at Asian Couples section of the French event.

Taraneh Alidousti, Shahab Hosseini, Merila Zarei, Mani Haqiqi, Peyman Maadi, Rana Azadivar, Ahmad Merhanfar, and Saber Abar are among the cast of ‘About Elly’.

Farhadi’s 119-minute movie is about a group of friends who decides to go off for a weekend beside the Caspian Sea.

Sepideh, who did all the organizing, has decided to invite Elly, hoping that she might not be indifferent to the charms of her friend, Ahmad, who is just getting over a break-up.

Despite one or two unforeseen problems, everything goes ahead with good humor on all parts, until, suddenly, Elly disappears.

From light comedy at the beginning, ‘About Elly’ turns into a tragedy, with a huge load of worry, stress and self-questioning.

In the mysterious atmosphere of this abandoned house, Fahradi draws the portrait of these young couples, revealing who they are, as anxiety gradually increases.

Leila Hatami, Ali Mosaffa, Jamileh Sheikhi, Mohammad-Reza Sharifinia, Touran Mehrzad, and Shaqayeq Farahani are among the cast of ‘Leila’.

Mehrjouee’s 124-minute movie is about Leila and Reza, a modern Iranian couple, who are delighted about their recent marriage.

When Reza’s mother learns that her daughter-in-law cannot have baby, she takes it upon herself to convince her son to remarry.

The oppression exerted by this oppressive mother, added to the weight of tradition, gives the impression that the couple are heading straight for a split.

Launched in 1995, the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (Festival international des cinémas d'Asie) is an annual special-interest film festival focusing on the cinemas of Asia.

The 25th edition of the festival is slated for February 5-12, 2019, in Vesoul, France.

MG/AG