Kiarostami’s ‘Exodus’ en route to Yamagata festival

Iranian documentary ‘Exodus’ has been scheduled to compete at the 2019 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF) in Japan.

Directed and produced by Bahman Kiarostami, the documentary will be screened at the New Asian Currents section of the YIDFF.

‘Exodus’ is about migrant workers from Afghanistan who have lined up to leave Iran as the renewed US sanctions have sparked a recession.

But since they have illegally entered Iran, first they are required to go for some interviews in an immigration center in Tehran.

‘Exodus’ has so far attended a number of global film events, including the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto.

The documentary has also won some awards, including one at the international section of the 12th Cinema Verite international documentary film festival in Iran.

The YIDFF is a documentary film festival held biennially in Yamagata, Japan.

It was first held in October 1989 which makes it one of the longest running documentary film festivals in the world and one of the most distinguished ones in Asia.

Its emphasis is on showcasing best achievements in documentary filmmaking as well as promoting and popularizing the genre and documentary filmmaking in the region.

The 2019 edition of the YIDFF is slated for October 10-17.

MG/MG