US festival honors Iran female director

The 13th edition of the Action On Film (AOF) International Film Festival in Monrovia, California, has honored Iranian filmmaker Maryam Pirband.

Pirband won the Best Woman Director Award for her film ‘Silence’ after the festival’s conclusion on August 26.

It tells the story of one day of a deaf woman whose job is to wash the exterior walls of buildings. On a particular day, while hanging from the ropes, she saves another woman’s life.

The film has been present at many international film festivals so far, receiving a number of awards, including the Best Director Award at the Labor Film Festival in Iran.

Pirband is the writer and director of more than 20 short films, documentaries, TV series as well as commercial and industrial films.

She has also taken part at many domestic and foreign festivals, winning many awards for her films.

She has been on the jury and selection committee panels at several festivals, including Salman Farsi Film Festival, Erbil Film Festival, Nahal Short Film Festival, Women Short Film Festival, and Salamat Film Festival.

Iranian star Gohar Kheirandish also won the best actress award at the event for her role in ‘House of the Other’ directed by Behnoush Sadeqi.

Founded in 2004, the Action On Film International Film Festival, also known as AOF, is a film festival held in several different cities in California.

Opened on August 17 in Monrovia, the 13th edition of AOF came to an end on Saturday, August 26, 2017.

MG/MF