UK presenting Iran female footballers

A number of movie theaters across the UK have been screening the Iranian title ‘Cold Sweat’.

Directed by Soheil Beiraqi, the movie is currently on some silver screens, including London Curzon and HOME Manchester, across England and Ireland.

Also known as ‘Permission’, the movie narrates the story of a young athlete named Afrouz Ardestani, the captain of Iran women’s national futsal team.

The team gets the chance to play at the finals of the Asian Championship League thanks to the goals Afrouz has scored.

On the day the team is to fly off to Malaysia for the match, Afrouz finds out that her husband has travel-banned her. Now she needs his permission to travel overseas.

The film has so far attended several global events, including the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival in Japan, the 29th Stockholm International Film Festival in Sweden, the 9th Cinema and Human Rights Festival in France, the 8th International Film Festival of Panama, the 33rd Washington DC International Film Festival in the US, the 2019 Glasgow Film Festival in Scotland, the 45th Seattle International Film Festival in the US, the 2019 Sydney Film Festival in Australia, and a number of movie theaters in Sweden.

‘Cold Sweat’ has bagged several nominations and awards, including a Crystal Simorgh for the Best Actor in a Leading Role for Amir Jadidi and a Crystal Simorgh for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Sahar Dolatshahi at the 36th Fajr Film Festival in Iran.

Baran Kosari won Best Actress Award, Beiraqi grabbed Grand Prize, and the film received The Student Award at the 2018 Carcassonne Film Festival in France. Kosari has also won the Jury Prize at the 2019 Dublin Film Festival in Ireland, the UK.

Besides Jadidi, Kosari and Dolatshahi, Leili Rashidi and Hoda Zeinolabedin are notable among the cast members.

MG/MG