Leiden fest to screen Iran ‘Better than Neil Armstrong’

The 2020 edition of the Leiden International Film Festival (LIFF) in the Netherlands has been set to present Iranian short flick ‘Better than Neil Armstrong’.

Written and directed by Alireza Qasemi, the short film tells the story of four kids who start their journey to the moon with the mission of finding a mysterious place called The Redland, but the gates of The Redland are being guarded by a mischievous snake.

‘Better than Neil Armstrong’ has won a number of awards, including Best Live Action Short Film Director's award at the 18th Pune International Film Festival in India, best film award at the Drama Section of the 1st Southport International Short Film Festival in the UK, Best Student Short Film award at the 5th Las Cruces International Film Festival in the US, as well as Best Cinematography and Best Movie Soundtrack awards at the 15th Nahal Student Short Film Festival in Iran.

The short film has also been screened at various global events such as the 20th Izmir International Short Film Festival in Turkey, the 2019 Lund International Fantastic Film Festival in Sweden, the 13th Trenton Film Festival in the US, the 10th Lakeshorts International Short Film Festival in Canada, and the 2020 Muslim Film Festival in Australia.

Launched in 2006, the LIFF is now one of the most important Dutch film festivals, showcasing feature films that examine the boundary between art-house and mainstream from all over the world.

The 14.5th (!) edition of the LIFF is slated for October 29-November 8, 2020.

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Charlotte filmfest to screen Iranian ‘Better than Neil Armstrong’

MG/AG