Three animations to vie at Fajr Filmfest

Three Iranian animated films have been selected to compete at the 37th edition of Fajr Film Festival.

The three nominated films are ‘Sunny Night’ by Ali Madani, ‘The Last Fiction’ by Ashkan Rahgozar and ‘Benyamin’ made by Mohsen Enayati.

The winner will receive the Special Jury Prize of the event.

Madani’s 90-minute film is suitable for kids and teens.

“The storyteller’s box, which is a source for the city’s calm and order, is abducted by jackals from the neighboring land. The sun replaces the moon. The night vanishes and the city’s order collapses. A number of children accidentally get involved in the incidents and help the detective to return the casket to the city,” the synopsis of the 3D animation reads.

Meanwhile, ‘The Last Fiction’ is the story of an evil figure in Iranian mythology, Zahhak. It is a free adaptation of a story from Iran’s classic literature. The film won recognition and was presented as one of the best ongoing projects at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.

The third animation ‘Benyamin’ is about a boy named Benyamin in ancient Egypt. According to the film’s director, all characters in the film are imaginary.

“The soldiers of Pharaoh have arrested the mother of Benyamin. In order to release her, they want a valuable thing from Benyamin. Benyamin will be forced to undertake a dangerous voyage to get that valuable thing,” the plot summary writes.

The 37th edition of Fajr Film Festival is set to kick off on January 30, and will run until February 11 in the capital Tehran.

The festival coincides with the Ten-Day Fajr (Dawn) ceremonies across Iran, marking the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Since its establishment in 1982, the Fajr Film Festival has played a vital role in the development of Iranian Cinema.

Supervised by Iran’s Ministry of Culture, the festival hosts veteran directors and new filmmakers from Iran every year.

SQ/MM