Taipei Golden Horse running ‘The Warden’

The 57th edition of the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (TGHFF) in Taiwan has been screening Iranian feature ‘The Warden’.

Directed by Nima Javidi, the movie is contending for a Golden Horse at the Panorama section of the Taiwanese event.

It depicts an old prison in the late 1960s in southern Iran to be evacuated as it is close to the city’s airport which is under development.

While the head of the prison, Major Nemat Jahed, and his officers are in the midst of transferring the prisoners to the new facility, he receives a report that a prisoner, who is sentenced to death, has gone missing!

Using the concept of a frantic manhunt for an inmate in the very building meant to keep him imprisoned, Javidi lightly reflects on notions of freedom and the fragile nature of authority.

The film features popular actors such as Navid Mohammadzadeh, Parinaz Izadyar, Atila Pesyani, Setareh Pesyani, Habib Rezaee, Mani Haqiqi, Esmaeel Pourreza, and Mohammad-Rasoul Safari.

Score mixing for ‘The Warden’ was done by Adam Schmidt who had previously worked on projects such as ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘Inception’, and ‘Sherlock Holmes’.

Produced by Majid Motallebi, ‘The Warden’ was premiered on the opening day of the 37th Fajr Film Festival in Iran.

The film received the awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Mohammadzadeh), Best Cinematography (Houman Behmanesh), and Best Film at the 21st Iran Cinema Celebration.

The movie has gone on screen at some global events, including the Chennai International Film Festival in India, the Hainan International Film Festival in China, the International Film Festival “East & West. Classics and Avant Garde” in Russia, and the 9th International Crime and Punishment Film Festival in Turkey, where it received the special student jury award.

ifilm has interviewed the script writer and director Javidi, the editor Emad Khodabakhsh, as well as the actors Esmaeel Pourreza and Mohammad-Rasoul Safari on ‘The Warden’. Click here to watch the report.

Starting in 1980, the TGHFF is the largest film festival in Taiwan. The festival focuses on the theme of fantasy to lead the audience go beyond the boundaries of imagination.

The 2020 edition of the event started on November 5 and will conclude on November 22.

Read more:

Behind-the-scenes for ‘The Warden’ released

Iran critics and screenwriters pick ‘The Warden’

Iranian film ‘A Hairy Tale’ on screen in Taiwanese fest

MG/AG