‘Atabai’ to head to Sofia MENAR Film Festival

‘Atabai’, a feature film by well-known Iranian actress and filmmaker Niki Karimi, is to represent Iranian cinema the 14th Sofia MENAR Film Festival in Bulgaria.

‘Atabai’, which makes Karimi’s sixth feature-length film as a director, will vie at the competition section of the 2022 Bulgarian festival.

Written by ‘Midday Adventures’ star Hadi Hejazifar, the drama was filmed in the historic northwestern Iranian city of Khoy.

Javad Ezzati, Sahar Dolatshahi, Danial Noroush and Hejazifar are some of the cast members in ‘Atabai’.

“The 40-year-old Atabai lives with his father in a village called Pirkandi. Years ago, he left university just one year before his graduation because of unrequited love,” a synopsis to the film reads.

‘Atabai’ features both Farsi and Turkish languages.

Other titles directed by Karimi include ‘One Night’, ‘A Few Days Later’, ‘Final Whistle’, and ‘Night Shift’, all of which have received awards at national as well as international film festivals.

‘Atabai’ has previously participated in the 20th Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF) in Bangladesh, the 40th Cambridge Film Festival in the UK and the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

The Sofia MENAR Film Festival presents the best of Middle East and North Africa film productions, including feature films, documentaries and short projects.

According to the official website of the event, the term MENAR (Middle East and North Africa Region) is “an acronym often used to cover an extensive area, stretching from Morocco to Iran, including the majority of both the Middle Eastern and Maghreb countries.”

The upcoming edition of the event is slated to be held from January 14 to 30, 2022.

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For behind-the-scenes footage of ‘Atabai’, click here. 

For an official trailer for ‘Atabai’, click here.

MM/FM