London fest awards Iran’s ‘Hit the Road’

The BFI London Film Festival in the UK has named Iranian feature ‘Hit the Road’ the best film.

Grabbing the Best Film award of the English film event’s 65th edition makes Panah Panahi’s directorial debut fitting the criterion Malgorzata Szumowska has for the best film. He puts it this way, “The Best Film award recognizes inspiring and distinctive filmmaking that captures the essence of cinema. The essence of life! At all times in cinema history, but perhaps during a pandemic especially, we are looking for ways to connect to life. Our choice is for a film that made us laugh and cry and feel alive”.

‘Hit the Road’ tells the story of a couple and their two sons who go on a road journey to a destination that remains mysterious.

Meanwhile, the road trip with all the comedy and drama it entails takes place in the mesmerizing nature of Iran.

The flick has already toured a number of prestigious film events, including the Cannes Film Festival in France and the New Horizons International Film Festival in Poland.

It has also screened at the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland and the Calgary International Film Festival in Canada.

The 65th BFI London Film Festival took place on October 6-17. The screenings were held in theatres across London and the UK.

The other Iran representatives at this edition of the LFF were ‘A Hero’ by celebrated Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi and ‘The Fourth Wall’ directed by Mahboubeh Kalaee.

AA/FM