‘Butterfly Stroke’ wins at Asian filmfest Barcelona

The Asian Film Festival Barcelona (AFFBCN) in Spain has awarded ‘Butterfly Stroke’ (Drown).

Directed by Mohammad Kart, the film grabbed the best screenplay award at the especial section of the 2021 edition of the event.

‘Butterfly Stroke’ narrates the story of some people from poverty-stricken neighborhoods in Tehran. They have to pretend to be strong if they want to survive the brutality of their environment.

“After leaking a video of her class in a women-only swimming pool, Parvaneh is brutally murdered by her husband, Hashem, who seeks a way to redeem his reputation and dignity as the godfather in the neighborhood. Hashem’s brother, Hojat, embarks on a journey into the labyrinths of the underground in Tehran to find out who is responsible for this dirty game. Once wrongfully accused of smuggling drugs, he returns to the world of crime to trace his brother’s rivals,” a synopsis for the movie reads.

Some top-rating Iranian actors such as Mohammad-Javad Ezzati, Tannaz Tabatabaee, Mahlaqa Baqeri, Pantea Bahram, Ali Shademan, and Amir Aqaee have starred in the flick.

‘Butterfly Stroke’ has gone on screen at some global events, including the Shanghai International Film Festival in China, the San Francisco Iranian Film Festival, and the Wales International Film Festival, where it won the jury award.

The upcoming edition of the AFFBCN includes meetings, conferences and seminars.

The 2021 edition of the Barcelona festival was held on October 27-November 7.

FM/MM