India’s Pune filmfest to screen Iran’s ‘Sly’

Iranian feature ‘Sly’ has been selected to compete at the 2020 edition of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) in India.

Directed by Kamal Tabrizi, the feature film will be screened at the World Competition section of the Indian event.

The 90-minute flick narrates the story of Qodrat who wants to become a member of parliament, but he has a reputation for recklessness and taking arbitrary action.

Deciding his best course of action is negotiating with assorted parties and politicians, none take him seriously until he’s connected to a single, notorious incident.

“The film is a satirical comedy based on current Iranian politics, with hilarious actions by impulsive characters. Samadi is a busy right-wing activist, making trouble with everyone and taking on roles no one asked of him. He is shouting out slogans and making speeches, and is constantly berating young people—that hijab is crooked; your hair is too long—because he can’t bear to see western culture creeping in. Reckless activist Samadi’s big dream is to become a congressman to share his political philosophy. Then he gets lucky. When Samadi is causing a scene in an attempt to disrupt a rock concert attended by famous politicians, a bomb goes off. Suddenly Samadi is a hero who saved 300 civilians, and now all politicians want him on their side. The Reformist party makes him their face for the new election, and to make his dream come true, Samadi becomes even more brazen. You will be surprised at this funny, witty, and warm Iranian comedy,” the PIFF website wrote about ‘Sly’.

The film has gone on screen at some global events, including the 20th Asiatica Film Festival in Italy, the 2nd MSP Iranian Film Festival in the US, the 23rd Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, the 29th Annual Festival of Films from Iran in the US, and the 2018 CineIran Festival in Canada where it won the Best Actor award.

Hamed Behdad, Vishka Asayesh, Azadeh Samadi, Reza Naji, Mani Haqiqi, Mohammad Bahrani, Siavash Cheraghi, and Behzad Qadianlou are among ‘Sly’ cast.

The PIFF aims to create a healthy film culture in Pune which is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

The fest brings the best of the global cinema to the city and sparks a cultural exchange.

The fest is slated for January 9-16, 2020.

Read and watch more:

‘Sly’ publishes new trailer

Comedy film ‘Sly’ unravels second trailer

Behind-the-scenes video for Iran movie ‘SLY’ released

Iran film ‘Sly’ releases trailer

MG/AG