‘Lunch Time’ wins US award

Iranian short film ‘Lunch Time’ directed by Alireza Qasemi has won the award for best short feature at the 10th edition of the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF) in the US.

The 15-minute ‘Lunch Time’ is about a high school girl who has come to the hospital to identify the body of her mother. The people in charge at the hospital would not let her into the morgue because of her young age.

It has gone on screen at a number of international film festivals, including the 15th London Short Film Festival (LSFF) in the UK, the 26th Saint Louis International Film Festival in the US, the 23rd James River Short Film Festival in the US, the 6th annual Jozi Film Festival in South Africa, the 18th Calgary International Film Festival in Canada, the Palm Springs International ShortFest in the US, the Mill Valley Film Festival in the US, and the 61st BFI London Film Festival in the UK.

The short has been nominated for a Palme d’Or at the 70th Cannes Film Festival in France and received several awards from the Student International Film Festival in Croatia, the Ojai Film Festival in the US, the 2017 James River Short Films competition in the US, the Calgary International Film Festival in Canada, the 5th Porto Alegre Screenwriting Festival – FRAPA in Brazil, the 6th Pachuca Film Festival in Mexico, the 2017 Snakes Alley Festival of Film in the US, and the 4th Flamingo Film Festival in the US.

Among the cast members of ‘Lunch Time’ are Khorshid Cheraqipour, Roya Bakhtiari, Amir Taqdiri, Peyman Naemi, Siavash Cheraqipour, Bahram Omrani, Pouria Akhavan, Mohammad Haddadi, Alireza Qasemi, Mehdi Yeganeh, and Arash Qasemi.

The AAAFF is aimed at telling Asian and Asian American stories via media arts and help Asian Americans explore opportunities in cinema.

It showcases the best in new Asian and Asian American cinema at an annual film festival, and through year-round screenings and special events.

The 10th AAAFF was held on December 7-10, 2017, at AFS Cinema in Austin, Texas, the US.

MG/MMF