Iran ‘Driving Lessons’ wins Korean award

Iranian short ‘Driving Lessons’ has won an award at the 13th edition of the Film Festival for Women's Rights (FIWOM) in South Korea.

Directed by Marzieh Riahi, ‘Driving Lessons’ received the jury’s special award at the Korean event.

The film is about Bahareh, who must have her traditional chauvinistic husband accompany her during driving lessons so that she and her instructor are not left together without a third party’s presence.

‘Driving Lessons’ is starring Linda Kiani, Alireza Sanifar, Salar Khamseh, and Sanaz Mesbah.

The short film has gone on screen at several global events, including the 49th Tampere Film Festival in Finland, the 59th Cartagena Film Festival in Colombia, as well as the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, the 42nd Mill Valley Film Festival, and the 50th Nashville Film Festival, all in the US.

‘Driving Lessons’ has received a number of awards at events such as the 16th Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival in Armenia, the 2019 “I Will Tell” international film festival in the UK, the 2019 Topaz Film Festival by Women in Film Dallas in the US, and the 22nd Religion Today Film Festival in Italy.

The FIWOM started in 2006 to show the reality and gravity of violence against women happening everyday and to spread support for the survival and healing of the victims.

About 3,000 people attend the festival annually. The festival is comprised of a total of six sections: three fixed sections, two sections containing the theme of the year, and a competitive section consisting of domestic films.           

The 13th edition of the FIWOM was held on October 2-6, 2019 at CGV ArtHouse Apgujeong in South Korea.

MG/AG