Two Iranian films on silver screen in Cannes

Two Iranian feature films ‘Valderama’ by Abbas Amini and ‘Israfil’ by Ida Panahandeh have been shortlisted to go on screen at the Espace Miramar, a major performing arts theater in Cannes, France on Thursday.

According to the Espace Miramar, the screening session will take place in a program named “Zoom Sur Le Cinema Iranien” (Focus on Iranian Cinema).

Nasrin Mirshab, the director of the France-based Dreamlab Films which is the international distributor of the two films, is expected to attend the screenings of the movies.

Starring Hediyeh Tehrani, Pejman Bazeghi and Hoda Zeinolabedin, ‘Israfil’ is about a guy named Behrouz who is back to Iran after 20 years to sell his properties. He meets his lost love Sara for the first time; and the painful past memories he once strived to put behind come alive.

Amini’s ‘Valderama’ follows the story of an Iranian boy in the southwestern city of Abadan whose conspicuous curly blond hair resembles the famous Colombian former football player Carlos Valderrama, so he is called by the same name. He is trying to obtain an ID card he has never been able to have.   

‘Valderama’ features Hamed Alipour, Nafiseh Zare and Gity Qasemi.

Director Amini previously served as a member of a jury for the Generation section of the 70th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival.

The Espace Miramar is a performance hall and arts venue in the municipality of Cannes. Given the visual image as its key note, the center hosts exhibitions to promote contemporary artists, along with a large number of film screenings.  

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