Fribourg Int’l Film Festival awards ‘The Chick’

The 35th edition of the Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) in Switzerland has awarded Iranian short flick ‘The Chick’.

The organizers announced the Iranian flick, directed by Bijan Aarabi, received the CH Cinema Network Award with a cash prize of CHF 3000.

“A cook working in a motorway restaurant somewhere in the desert has to find a way of saving her young female friend, an illegal immigrant from Afghanistan. An absurd, tender and suspenseful film,” a synopsis for the flick reads.

The cast list of the short film includes Masoumeh Qasemipour, Ali Baqeri, and Shahla Akbari.

Moreover, the FIFF has honored ‘Nahid’ by Samad Alizadeh with an honorable mention.

It narrates the story of a woman who, following her mother’s death, publishes her photo in the funeral leaflet and it leads to the wrath of her family.

Living in a patriarchal and traditionalist society, her action causes a tumult in her family and leads to clashes between Nahid and her brother.

Laya Mirnasiri, Firouz Aqeli, Shahrzad Shakourian, Mehdi Heidari, Nasrin Khorram, and Parisa Sohrabi are some of the flick’s cast members.

The Media Kiasat film distributing company is in charge of the film’s international release.

Founded in 1987, the FIFF “aims to promote the understanding between cultures through films. It gives preferences to productions that stimulate reflection and provoke discussion”, states the official website of the fest.

The 35th edition of the festival was held on July 16-25, 2021.

In 2006, ‘Slowly’ by Maziar Miri won the Grand Prize Regard d’Or at the festival.

‘Asho’ by Jafar Najafi was picked as the best short film in its 2020 edition.

MG/AG