Big Water filmfest screens 6 Iranian titles

The 11th edition of the Big Water Film Festival in the US has screened six Iranian titles.

The Iranian titles at the event included ‘Animal’ by Bahram Ark and Bahman Ark, ‘Birthday Night’ by Omid Shams, ‘Jalil and Khalil’ by Rouhollah Akbari, ‘Vars’ by Javad Vatani, ‘The Visit’ by Mehrdad Abbasian-Vahdat, and ‘Elephantbird’ by Amir-Mahsoud Soheili.

The Ark twins, 27 year-olds from Tabriz, Iran, have made ‘Animal’ about a man who tries desperately to cross the border disguised as a ram.

‘Birthday Night’ depicts a drive home after finishing work for the night which may change the relationship between two brothers forever. It’s a searing look at interpersonal relations from Iran.

‘Jalil and Khalil’ is a documentary about two brothers from a small farming village in Iran who make the national track team, but who still have to contend with problems at home.

When built in 1936 the ‘Vars’ Railway Bridge in Iran, at 360 feet high with a 216-foot span, was an engineering and construction marvel, and changed the economic and social life of the region.

Now, the construction warranties have finally run out, and the government is questioning whether to close down the bridge. It’s a fascinating look at the bridge’s history and impact on its community.

‘The Visit’ is a great original sensibility of the absurd a little Kafka, a little Beckett, and a little Havel.

‘Elephantbird’ is about an aging man who takes a hazardous bus trip to deliver a turkey to his grandson. The director, from Iran, describes this film, set in Afghanistan, as a darkly comic attempt to humanize the perils faced by ordinary Afghanis every day.

The 2019 Big Water Film Festival was held in Ashland, Wisconsin, on November 6-9.

MG/AG