Iran’s ‘Lunch Time’ tops Mexican festival

Iranian film ‘Lunch Time’ directed by Alireza Qasemi has received the Tenango Award for best film at the 6th edition of the Pachuca Film Festival in Mexico.

Iranian Ambassador to Mexico Mohammad-Taqi Hosseini attended the closing ceremony of the event, held in Pachuca on June 26 to July 1, to receive the award on behalf of the film’s director.

After being nominated for a short film Palme d’Or at 70th Cannes, the film has been scheduled to be screened for the second time at the global level in the 23rd Palm Springs International ShortFest.

Alireza Qasemi’s short film ‘Lunch Time’ was recently placed among the official selections for Court Metrage of the 70th edition of Cannes Film Festival in France

Qasemi commented on the idea behind the film saying “It comes from my childhood memory at the age of 8 when I went to a hospital restaurant,” adding, “At that time a family who lost a loved one were crying while others were busy eating their lunch and such contradiction had always been on my mind till it turned into an idea” for a film.

The 15-min film is about a high school girl who goes to the hospital to identify the body of her mother who has recently passed away.

‘Slime’ by Hejar Nourani, ‘Self…less’ by Mashhoud Mohsenian, ‘The Man who Forgot to Breathe’ by Saman Hosseinpour, ‘Sleepwalker’ by Behnam Afiat, and ‘Nameless by Amir Karami were among the other representatives of Iran at the Mexican event.

MG/MG