‘The Wasteland’ to vie at Italian fest

Iranian movie ‘The Wasteland’ has been placed among the contenders of the 11th Middle East Now (Festival of Cinema and Contemporary Culture on the Middle East) in Italy.  

Iranian filmmaker Ahmad Bahrami's second film ‘The Wasteland’ follows the plight of a bricklaying factory in the middle of Iranian desert backwater.

The late Abbas Kiarostami’s protegé Bahrami tells us the story of a lonely man named Lotfolla who works as a supervisor in that factory as a go-between. The owner of the factory once brings together all the workers and tells them something that changes their lives.

Shot in black and white, ‘The Wasteland’ has the look and feel of a classic from over half a century ago. Several film critics have described the darkness of the frame in ‘The Wasteland’ as the biggest cinematic pull.

In September, the 77th Venice International Film Festival in Italy premiered ‘The Wasteland’ and named it the winner with the FIPRESCI award handed out by the Independent Federation of Film Critics.

Zahra Rostampour’s ‘Starvation’ and Mehrdad Oskouee’s award-winning documentary movie ‘Sunless Shadows’ will also represent Iran at the Middle East Now fest.

The Middle East Now Festival focuses on the key themes of the contemporary world as it is believed to be a powerful instrument to approach reality and cultural integration.

The 2020 edition of the event will take place on October 6-11.

MM/FM