Iran RIFF announces animation, short, telefilm, music video lineups

The 16th edition of the Resistance International Film Festival (RIFF) in Iran has announced the official competition lineups of animation, short film, telefilm, and music video sections.

‘Bleuet’ by Amaury d'Arcangues, Paul Calvier, Léa Rocton, and Thomas Ruiz from France, ‘The March of the Missing’ by Marcos Almada Rivero from Mexico, and ‘The Peculiar Crime of Oddball Mr. Jay’ by Bruno Caetano from Portugal are in the animation lineup.

‘Bleuet’ is about a French soldier who took refuge in an abandoned house during the First World War. But when a plane started bombing the village, he started chasing and rescuing a child who hadn't realized the danger.

‘The March of the Missing’ tells the story of an iron city, hosting a lavish government parade that brings joy and gifts to the quiet life of its citizens.

‘The Peculiar Crime of Oddball Mr. Jay’ focuses on a city where nature has been forbidden, but a small crime by a simple man triggers a chain of unexpected consequences.

Iranian animations of this section are ‘This Side, Other Side’ by Lida Fazli, ‘Savior’ by Sajjad Esmaeel-Beigi, ‘Balance’ by Barzan Rostami, ‘Feather’ by Hadi Amiri and Raha Faraji, ‘White Stones’ by Fatemeh Hassani, ‘Father’ by Mohammad Keivan-Marz, ‘C-19’ by Hassan Dehqanian, and ‘Winter Memories’ by Zahra Kababian and Amir-Mehdi Safdari.

The lineup of intentional short films includes ‘On the Border’ by Tynchtyk Abylkasymov from Kyrgyzstan, ‘Prisoner & Jailer’ by Muhannad Lamin from Libya and Qatar, and ‘Dreams under the Rubble’ by Mohammed Khalil from Iraq.

‘On the Border’ is about the life of an elderly man who unwittingly became a prisoner of the border guards of two neighboring countries. 

‘Prisoner & Jailer’ tells the story of two contrasting Libyans: a key official in the former regime and one of the most prominent figures of the post-revolutionary period in Libya. Through these two characters, the circumstances surrounding one of the most influential events in modern Libyan history, the Abu Salim Prison Massacre, is discovered.

‘Dreams under the Rubble’ depicts the harrowing reality that the paramedics face while trying to save child casualties of the war.

Iranian short films of this section are ‘Silence’ by Ammar Khatti, ‘Red Card’ by Mohammad-Amin Rahbar, ‘From Leila’ by Mojtaba Espani, ‘Garden of Paradise’ by Hassan Najafi, ‘Brother’ by Mahdieh Mohammadi, ‘I am an American’ by Omid Mirzaee, and ‘I Compensate’ by Jamal Ahmadi.

The telefilm lineup includes ‘Songs of Wind’ by Mohsen Sohani, ‘Ours are the Guests’ by Hamid Bahmani, ‘Dark Chocolate’ by Rouhollah Zarif-Hosseinzadeh, ‘Roots’ by Mohammad-Reza Moeeni, and ‘Commander’ by Ali Atshani.

The music video lineup includes ‘Compassion’ by Vignesh Vyas from the UK, ‘I will Stay Beside You Homeland’ by Arash Bakhtiar, ‘Silent Flight’ by Amir-Hossein Bozorogzadegan, and ‘We Go Upper and Upper’ by Majid Rastegar and Sadeq Lotfizadeh.

The first part of the 16th RIFF, comprising Health Defenders and Festival of Festivals sections, wrapped up on September 27.

The next part, to be held on November 21-27, coinciding with “Basij” week, will include Main Competition section, Resistance Prominent Martyr - special section, Best Film Competition in Absolute Sense section, and Narrations of Pen - Scriptwriting Competition section.

The RIFF, one of the most prestigious international film festivals in Iran, is dedicated to productions on wars and the repercussions of armed conflicts in the world.

It also puts a spotlight on the resistance of the Palestinian people against the Zionist regime and Daesh and their terrorist attacks in the region, as well as the world’s tyrants and their backing of Daesh.

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Resistance Int’l Film Festival unveils competition lineup

MG/AG