US film festival to screen Iranian documentary ‘Starless Dreams’

The 40th edition of the Portland International Film Festival has scheduled to screen Iranian documentary ‘Starless Dreams’.

The US event, to be held on February 9-25, will display the documentary directed by Mehrdad Oskouei at the Documentary Views category of the festival.

The 76-minute ‘Starless Dreams’ shows young women in an Iranian juvenile detention center reflecting on the crimes they have committed and the circumstances that have shaped their lives.

The documentary has grabbed a number of prestigious awards and titles from various film events. Just in 2016, the film won the Amnesty International Film Prize at the 66th Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlinale-Generation 14plus in Germany as well as the True Vision Award at the 13th True/False Film Festival in the US.

Oskouei’s production has also received the Grierson Award for the best documentary at the 60th BFI London Film Festival and the Children’s Rights Award at the 31st Osnabruck Independent Film Festival in October.

The event will also screen ‘Life+1 Day’ directed by Saeed Roustaei and ‘Parting’ directed by Navid Mahmoudi at the New Directors section.

Established in 1977, the Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) is an annual showcase of the very best in new world cinema. Drawing an audience of more than 40,000, PIFF is the largest film event in Oregon, premiering more than 140 international shorts and feature films every February.

MG/AI