Leiden fest to show Iran ‘Song Sparrow’

The 2020 edition of the Leiden International Film Festival (LIFF) in the Netherlands has been set to present Iranian short flick ‘Song Sparrow’.

Produced, written, and directed by Farzaneh Omidvarnia, the short animation is about a group of refugees in search of a better life in another place.

They pay someone to take them across the border in a fridge truck.

However, the freezing temperature of the truck turns their hopes for a better future into a fierce struggle for survival.

‘Song Sparrow’ uses puppet animation to tell a tense tale based on an actual event that happened in Austria in 2015.

The people featured in the animation are of different ages, races, colors, and cultural backgrounds, all of whom willing to put their lives on the line in search of a dream.

The short piece has gone on screen at many global events and won several honors, including best short animation award at the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy, best animated film award at the Festival Internazionale del Cortometraggio in France, special mention at the MyArt Film Festival in Italy, Best Short Animation Award at the Lebu International Film Festival in Chile, and special mention at the Cortile International Short Film Festival in Italy.

The Iran-Denmark joint production is qualified for Oscars 2021 by winning the award at the Lebu event.

Launched in 2006, the LIFF is now one of the most important Dutch film festivals, showcasing feature films that examine the boundary between art-house and mainstream from all over the world.

The 14.5th (!) edition of the LIFF is slated for October 29-November 8, 2020.

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MG/AG