Iranian ‘Hendi & Hormoz’ to vie in UAE

Iranian feature ‘Hendi & Hormoz’ has been selected to compete at the 7th edition of the Sharjah International Film Festival for Children & Youth (SIFF) in the UAE.

Directed by Abbas Amini, ‘Hendi & Hormoz’ is set on Iran’s Hormuz Island in the Persian Gulf, where hematite deposits in the soil turn the ocean waves blood-red.

The 91-minute feature is about a 16-year-old boy, Hormoz, who is married to Hendi, three years younger than him, after he promises that he can work as a miner.

But the young man finds closed doors instead of a job. Gradually the game of life becomes more serious and dangerous for both kids.

Hamed Alipour, Zohreh Eslami and Mohammad Banouj are among the cast.

The film won best film, best script and new acting talent awards at the 15th edition of the Transsaharien International Film Festival in Nigeria.

‘Hendi & Hormoz’ has gone on screen at a number of global events, including the 14th Arabisches Film Festival and the 68th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in Germany, the 8th ÍRÁN:CI Film Festival in the Czech Republic, the 17th Dhaka International Film Festival in Bangladesh, the 11th Bengaluru International Film Festival in India, the 36th BUFF in Sweden, and the 2019 Middle East Now festival in Italy.

The film is also set to go on screen at the 1st UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival in Italy.

The SIFF was launched in 2013. It is the first children & youth film festival in the UAE, dedicated to enhance the media literacy of children and youth, foster children’s & youth’s creativity and showcase the very best in filmmaking for, by and about children and young people.

The 7th SIFF is slated for October 13-18, 2019 in the UAE.

MG/AG