‘Yalda’ enters Berlinale competition

Iranian feature film ‘Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness’ has made way into the competition program of the 70th edition of Berlin International Film Festival in Germany.

‘Yalda’ not about revenge but forgiveness: director

Written and directed by Masoud Bakhshi, ‘Yalda’ will have its European premiere at the Berlinale Generation section (14plus) of the festival.

Headed by Maryanne Redpath since 2008, Berlinale Generation section is a competitive program dedicated to young audiences with films focusing, in their narratives and cinematic languages, on young people.

‘Yalda’ tells the story of Maryam Komijani, a young woman who has been sentenced to death for the murder of her husband. On Yalda Night, an ancient cultural festive marking the longest night of the year, she has been brought to a studio to be forgiven by the victim’s only daughter, Mona Ziya, during a live TV program.

But several incidents during the show and behind-the-scenes of the TV program get the two young women into a challenging situation to take a decision.

Behnaz Jafari and Faqiheh Soltani star in Bakhshi’s second feature film.

The film is a joint production between Iran, France, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Lebanon.

‘Yalda’ is also scheduled to attend the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the United States, to be held on January 23–February 2, 2020.

The 2020 Berlinale marks the 70th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival.

The festival will be held on February 20 - March 01, 2020.

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