Iran animation wins award at HK fest

Iranian animation ‘Release from Heaven’ has won an award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF).

Directed by Ali Nouri-Oskouee, the animation grabbed the Best Feature Animation Award at the summer edition of the HK event.

Set in a war torn country, the animation narrates the story of a female writer and teacher, Sareh who has to accompany two of her students on a life changing journey to find their fathers.

‘Release from Heaven’ is a mixture of fantasy and reality in which the teacher tries to tell stories for her students to encourage them, but she finds out that the heroes of her stories are real.

It has also been slated to compete at animation festivals in Berlin, and Golden Bridge among some others.

The animation had its market premier on May 22 as the opening film of Animation Day in Cannes film festival.

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) is a charitable, non-profit and non-governmental organization dedicated to the discovery and promotion of creativity in the art and culture of film.

Through its annual programs, the Society promotes international appreciation of Asian, Hong Kong and Chinese film culture; introduces world cinema to Hong Kong audiences; and continues to underline Hong Kong’s key position in the international film community. 

The HKIFF has been held from June 28 to July 3, 2017.

FM/MG