Sheffield filmfest picks ‘Elephantbird’

The Sheffield Short Film Festival (SSFF) in the UK has nominated Iran-Afghanistan joint production ‘Elephantbird’.

Written and directed by Amir-Masoud Soheili, the 15-minute flick is nominated for the Best International Film and Best Student Film awards at the 2020 edition of the British event.

Coproduced by Soheili and Seyyed-Jalal Rouhani, the film is an adaptation of an Afghan short story.

“A minibus is on a journey across the mountains to Kabul and each passenger has a reason to take this journey. One old man is traveling to give a turkey to his grandchild as his last wish before dying, but the main road is blocked by insurgents. When they decide to use an unsecure alternative road, they soon realize the possibility of running into danger has not gone away,” the SSFF’s website wrote on the story of ‘Elephantbird’.

‘Elephantbird’ has been presented at several international film festivals, including the AVANCA - International Meeting of Cinema, TV, Video and Multimedia in Portugal, the Batumi International Art-House Film Festival in Georgia, and the Sedicicorto International Film Festival in Italy, where it won the Special Jury Award.

The short flick has also received honors such as Best Ensemble Cast award at the Big Bear Film Summit in the US, the Best Short Narrative Film award at the Accra Indie filmfest in Ghana, and an award at the R.E.D. International Film Festival of Norway.

Aimed to celebrate new and established filmmakers from around the globe and share the magic of cinematic storytelling through the time-honored format of short film, the “Sheffield Short Film Festival is run by Sheffield filmmakers and is following in the Steel City’s long history and tradition of celebrating cinema. By bringing international short films to the amazing and diverse audiences of Sheffield,” the SSFF’s website writes.

Following the postponement of the original festival dates due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 edition of the SSFF will be held on October 30–November 1.

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MG/AG