St. Louis filmfest to screen Iran animation ‘The Last Fiction’

Iran animation ‘The Last Fiction’ has been selected to go on screen at the 27th edition of the Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) in the US.

‘The Last Fiction’ will be screened at the Tivoli Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri, the US, on November 2, 2018.

Directed by Ashkan Rahgozar, the animated film is the story of an evil figure in Iranian mythology, Zahhak. It is a free adaptation of a story from Iran’s classic literature.

Based on classic Persian literature — “The Shahnameh,” or “The Book of Kings,” by the poet Ferdowsi — the 100-minute animated ‘The Last Fiction’ follows the twin stories of upstart ruler Zahak, who makes a treacherous rise to the throne in Jamkard (ancient Persia), and of young hero Afaridoun, who is fated to save the kingdom’s people from the darkness.

Zahak, who made a Faustian pact to seize the throne, is now haunted by his evil deeds, and his recent nightmares prophesy that a young man he wronged in the past will rise up against him.

However, Afaridoun must first conquer his own inner demons before he can battle Zahak’s dark forces and restore peace to the kingdom.

Popular Iranian actors Akbar Zanjanpour, Hamed Behdad, Parviz Parastoui, Majid Mozaffari, and Ashkan Khatibi are among the animation voice actors.

The list goes on with Zoheir Yari, Baran Kosari, Hassan Pourshirazi, Shaqayeq Farahani, Melika Sharifinia, Farrokh Nemati, and Bita Farrahi.

The film won recognition and was presented as one of the best ongoing projects at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.

It was also invited to the Marché du Film (lit. Film Market), which is the business counterpart of the Cannes Film Festival and one of the largest film markets in the world.

‘The Last Fiction’ has gone on screen at a number of global film events, including the 2018 Bucheon International Animation Festival in South Korea and the 12th Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia.

The SLIFF is an annual film festival in St. Louis, Missouri, which has been running since 1992. The coordinating organization changed its name to "Cinema St. Louis" in 2003.

The festival screens approximately 300 films over a period of 10 days during November. The 27th edition of the SLIFF is slated for November 1-11, 2018.

MG/FM