Seattle Film Summit audiences pick 2 Iranian titles

Audiences of the 2020 edition of the Seattle Film Summit (SFS) in the US have picked two Iranian titles.

According to Iranian outlets, ‘Haunt’ by Siamak Kashef-Azar won the audience choice award in International Short Film Block and ‘The Blue Bed’ by Alireza Kazemipour received the audience choice award in Documentary/International Short Film Block of the 6th SFS.

The 14-minute ‘The Blue Bed’ tells the story of a girl who has taken an inappropriate path in her life and hosts visitors at home.

But suddenly things start to change for her when a woman walks into her life.

‘The Blue Bed’ has been screened at a number of global events and won some awards, including the Best Directing award at the Vancouver Short Film Festival in Canada and the best short film award at the Reading Film Festival in the US.

The short film also received three nominations for Best Screenwriting Short Drama, Best Direction Short Drama, and Best Short Drama at the Leo Awards in Canada, as well as a nomination for best actress in a supporting role (Bita Beigi) at the Satisfied Eye International Film Festival in the UK.

‘Haunt’ is a 17-minute film about a gambling addict named Reza. Without even knowing it, Reza loses something important during a game. When he comes back home, he looks for a way to escape.

Featuring Hamid-Reza Azarang and Bahar Mohammadpour, ‘Haunt’ made its debut screening at the 15th River's Edge International Film Festival in the US.

Kashef-Azar’s film was also named the winner of the Best Budget Short Film Award at the August edition of the 2020 monthly Assurdo Film Festival in Italy.

The Seattle Film Summit’s mission is to help shape a dynamic and socially responsible film economy by linking to A-list industry professionals and empowering artists with the information and tools necessary to hone their craft and bring their stories to light.

The 6th edition of the SFS was held online on November 1-22.

MG/AG