Washington, DC filmfest honors Iranian ‘Yalda’

The Special Commendation of the 34th edition of the Washington, DC International Film Festival (Filmfest DC) has been presented to ‘Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness’.

The jury’s statement on the film reads, “The Iranian film Yalda tackles the universal issue of forgiveness in a unique way, while giving audiences a look at another world culture. Told briskly, with effective tension, the story reveals how complex the human reality of forgiveness can be”.

Written and directed by Masoud Bakhshi, the film tells the story of Maryam Komijani, a young woman who has been sentenced to death for the murder of her husband.

On Yalda Night, an ancient cultural festive marking the longest night of the year, she has been brought to a studio to be forgiven by the victim’s only daughter, Mona Ziya, during a live TV program.

But several incidents during the program and its behind-the-scenes move the two young women into a challenging situation to make a decision.

‘Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness’ is starring Behnaz Jafari, Faqiheh Soltani, Sadaf Asgari, Babak Karimi, Arman Darvish, Fereshteh Hosseini, and Hassan Joudaki.

The Internationally-celebrated film has gone on screen at several festivals, including the Warsaw International Film Festival in Poland, the Vancouver International Film Festival in Canada, and the Helsinki International Film Festival - Love & Anarchy in Finland.

The Filmfest DC, the longest running festival in Washington DC, aims to bring the audience remarkable international films.

The 2020 edition of the event was held online on October 2-11.

PR/MG