Iranian ‘Witness’ vying at Swiss event

Iranian short flick ‘Witness’ has been screening at the Iranian Film Festival Zurich (IFFZ) in Switzerland.

Directed by Ali Asgari, the 15-minute film is among the competition titles at the 7th edition of the Swiss event.

‘Witness’ is about a mother who helps an elderly woman in a shopping mall in Tehran while her daughter waits impatiently for her in the car. A tragedy occurs, brutally confronting her with the impact of her actions.

The script of the short flick has been put together by Asgari and Farnoush Samadi.

Asgari as an internationally-recognized cineaste has been a jury member at some global events such as the Tirana International Film Festival in Albania.

The film has so far taken part in a number of global events, including the Annapolis Film Festival in the US, Dhaka International Film Festival in Bangladesh, and the BFI London Film Festival in the UK.

The IFFZ aims to fill the cultural gap between Iranians and Swiss as well as the many foreigners living in Switzerland.

The event defines itself as “A Platform for presenting the Iranian culture and tradition and for building a bridge between different cultures by the means of the universal language of art and especially the 7th art, cinema”.

The 7th edition of the event kicked off on May 27 and will run until June 2, 2021.

AA/MG