Italian fest to offer ‘Song Sparrow’

Iranian short flick ‘Song Sparrow’ has been picked as a finalist at the Rex (animation) section of the 2020 edition of the Amarcort Film Festival in Italy.

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, Special Mention at the Cortile International Short Film Festival in Italy, and Best Short Animation award at the Lebu International Film Festival in Chile.

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

The Amarcort Film Festival is dedicated to the late great Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini.

According to the official website of the fest, the Italian event aims to be “a space dedicated to young directors and independent productions" narrating stories of people and their emotions.

This year’s edition of the Amarcort is slated for November 24-29.

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MG/AG