Iran’s ‘Beloved’ becomes beloved of Chinese fest

The 2020 International Outdoor Documentary Film Festival of China (herein after referred to as “OUTDOCS”) has named acclaimed Iranian documentary film ‘Beloved’ as best film of the year.

Yasser Talebi’s documentary on difficult but favorable life of an 83-year-old mother named Firouzeh succeeded to grab the festival's top prize for best film.

Firouzeh in ‘Beloved’ runs a unique life in the Alborz Mountains in north Iran. She hikes across the rugged landscape carrying bundles of wood. When she was a young girl, a marriage was arranged for her with an older man, with whom she had 11 children. Now, none of her children come to visit her and her attempts to get closer to them remain futile.

In the last two years, the 63-minute doc has been one of the most successful Iranian documentary films that nabbed multiple awards worldwide, including the best feature documentary award and a diploma at the Kazan International Muslim Film Festival in Russia and a special mention at the Shanghai TV Festival in China.

The long list of awards took home by ‘Beloved’ goes on with a nomination at the Pärnu International Documentary and Anthropology Film Festival in Estonia, special prize at the Kranjska Gora International Film Festival in Slovenia, and NETPAC Award at the Ulju Mountain Film Festival in South Korea.

It has also taken the first place among the top five mid-length films selected by the Canadian audience at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto.

Moreover, the doc won the Best Documentary award at the Dhaka International Film Festival in Bangladesh and the grand prix at the Autrans international Mountain film festival in France.

Recently, ‘Beloved’ grabbed the grand prize of the 17th International Festival of TV Broadcasters and Independent Producers - SIMFEST in Romania.

The OUTDOCS is dedicated to developing a unique platform for outdoor documentaries. Using film, the festival pays tribute to the world scenery, the progressive sports and the adventure spirit of humanity.  

The event announced the winners of its second edition on November.

MM/FM