Int’l Fajr Fest updates foreign list

A batch of three films from Estonia, Argentina and Norway have been selected to go on Fajr screening during the 37th annual Fajr International Film Festival (FIFF).

According to local media reports, the festival updated the list for the Cup of Divination (Festival of Festivals) section with three more films to be shown in the event.

‘The Little Comrade’ by Moonika Siimets from Estonia and ‘Animal’ by Armando Bo from Argentina will go on Fajr screening along with Norwegian director Magnus Meyer Arnesen’s ‘As I Fall’.

Set in Soviet Estonia during the Stalinist terror of the 1950s, Siimets has made a sensitive adaptation of the autobiographical novels by Leelo Fungal in ‘The Little Comrade’.

“In the midst of Stalinist tyranny, six-year-old Leelo's mother is sent to a prison camp. Haunted by her mother's last words telling her to be a good kid, Leelo vows to be on her best behavior in the confusing grown-up world in the hope that it will bring her mother back,” comes as a short synopsis to Siimets’ production.

Fajr Festival will make the latest international appearance of the movie as it attended various global film events before, including Busan Int’l Film Festival in South Korea, Palm Springs Int’l Film Festival in the US as well as Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia.  

The Cup of Divination section, which is one of the main non-competitive sections of the Fajr Fest, will also host Oscar winner Armando Bo’s psychological thriller ‘Animal’.

‘Animal’ is about a man named Antonio Decoud who is forced by destiny to face an unexpected situation that shakes him to the core, scrambling up his life and his priorities, pushing him to forget his beliefs and his way of understanding life and follow the most basic instinct: the animal instinct.

Bo’s thriller marks his first feature as a director after co-writing ‘Birdman’ which brought him Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at the 87th Academy Awards in 2015.

Last but not least, Arnesen’s 'As I Fall' (Når jeg faller) – as one of the students of the Norwegian Film School - follows the unconventional relationship between a father and son as they cling to one another under the looming threat of addiction and separation.

Earlier reports have also announced ‘Summer Survivors’ by Marija Kavtaradze from Lithuania and Finnish film director Klaus Haro’s ‘One Last Deal’ as the international lineup of the event.   

The Cup of Divination (Festival of Festivals) section will host a total of 14 foreign films – to be completed soon – coupled with 4 Iranian films.

Established in 1982, the Fajr International Film Festival pays tribute to quality local and international films while celebrating cultural exchange and displaying creative achievements of highly acclaimed cineastes.

The 37th edition of the festival is slated for April 18-26, 2019 in the Iranian capital city of Tehran.

MM/FM