‘Hendi & Hormoz’ to vie at Bengaluru filmfest’s NETPAC

Iranian feature ‘Hendi & Hormoz’ has been selected to compete at NETPAC section of the 11th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES) in India.

The Iranian title will compete with ‘A Tiger in Winter’ by Kwang-kuk Lee from South Korea, ‘An Elephant Sitting Still’ by Hu Bo from China, ‘The Sweet Requiem’ by  Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam from India, ‘The Third Wife’ by Ash Mayfair from Vietnam, as well as ‘With All My Hypothalamus’ by Dwein Baltazar from the Philippines.

Directed by Abbas Amini, ‘Hendi & Hormoz’ is set on Iran’s Hormuz Island in the Persian Gulf, where hematite deposits in the soil turn the ocean waves blood-red.

The 91-minute feature is about a 16-year-old boy, Hormoz, who is married to Hendi, three years younger than him, after he promises that he can work as a miner.

But the young man finds closed doors instead of a job. Gradually the game of life becomes more serious and dangerous for both kids.

Hamed Alipour, Zohreh Eslami and Mohammad Banouj are among the cast.

The film won best film, best script and new acting talent awards at the 15th edition of the Transsaharien International Film Festival in Nigeria.

‘Hendi & Hormoz’ has gone on screen at a number of global events, including the 14th Arabisches Film Festival and the 68th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in Germany, the 8th ÍRÁN:CI Film Festival in the Czech Republic, as well as the 17th Dhaka International Film Festival in Bangladesh.

Iranian lineup of ‘Kejal’ by Nima Yar, ‘Sara & Aida’ by Maziar Miri, ‘Tale of the Sea’ by Bahman Farmanara, ‘The Villa Complex Residents’ (Villa Residents) by Monir Qeidi, ‘Wild Jonquils’ by Rahbar Qanbari, and ‘Yellow’ by Mostafa Taqizadeh will also go on the BIFFES screen in a section titled the Country Focus.

The 11th edition of the BIFFES will be held in India on February 21-28, 2019.

MG/MG