River awards ‘Middle Eastern Stories’

The 16th edition of the River International Film Festival (RIFF) in Italy has honored Iranian short drama ‘Middle Eastern Stories: Father’.

Directed by Reza Daqaq, the 18-minute flick was selected as best film at the International Horizons section of the Italian event.

“In the small narrative space, it’s almost a theatrical spectacle,” the jury said in its statement published on Sunday. The jury also praised the film for its “clever sound design”.

‘Middle Eastern Stories: Father’ tells the heartbreaking story of a group of refugees inside a truck trying to start a new life.

“A father decides to take his newborn son away from the war-stricken country. He hides in a container to flee across the border with other refugees. The goal seems increasingly difficult to achieve due to unexpected events,” a brief synopsis for the flick reads.

Behzad Khalaj, Mehrnoush Sattari, Amir Sotoudeh, Ali Gilvari, Nima Abedi, Nazanin Ramezani and Katia Yari comprise the cast members of the short film.

The 16th RIFF also honored Iranian drama ‘Plaything’ by Nima Rahimpour with the special jury mention in the same section.

The 13-minute film follows Nima who doesn’t like his new doll. He craves his mother’s love and attention.

The RIFF is a unique festival in the middle of the Piovego River, and characterized by an eclectic and rich program dedicated to the new international short films’ trends.

Every summer, the floating screen on the river in Padua projects a careful selection of works from all over the world and shot by the most interesting contemporary audiovisual authors, offering emerging talents an exceptional showcase to promote their works to the public and to experts.

The 16th RIFF was held on June 1-13, 2022 in River staircase of Porta Portello, Padua, Italy.

MG/MG