Italy’s Religion Today festival awards 3 Iranian films

The 24th edition of the Religion Today Film Festival in Italy has awarded three Iranian titles.

Iranian movies ‘Holy Bread’, ‘I Won’t Remain Alone’, and ‘Congenital’ received awards in different categories of the Italian event during the closing ceremony of the gala in the town of Trento on Thursday.

The award for best documentary went to ‘Holy Bread’ directed by the late documentarian Rahim Zabihi and produced by Touraj Aslani.

The award for best short documentary was presented to ‘I Won’t Remain Alone’ directed by Yasser Talebi.

The award for the Film for Our Future category was given to ‘Congenital’ co-directed by Saman Hosseinpour and Ako Zandkarimi.

‘Holy Bread’ is about some cross-border couriers who try to make ends meet by smuggling goods into Iran.

On foot, they carry their loads along mountain paths that are rocky, steep, and either slippery due to snow or blisteringly hot. Along the way, many of them suffer injuries, die in blizzards, or are shot by border police.

The powerful scenes of the men’s journeys are matched by their harrowing stories. No one chooses to become a cross-border courier; it is simply an unavoidable consequence of not having any other form of work.

The documentarian followed the workers for nine years to document the impact of living like a human pack mule. ‘Holy Bread’ gives exposure to a group of mostly men, who, driven by poverty, hunger, and despair, operate in the margins of society.

‘I Won’t Remain Alone’ follows the story of Sorayya and Seyyed-Jalal, an underprivileged old couple who live in a distant village in the north of Iran. It paints pictures of forgiveness, love, humanity and immortality.

The elderly disabled couple, living in a small village in the north of Iran, faces an unfathomable tragedy when their youngest son falls into a coma after an accident.

Defying the Islamic traditions of burial, overcoming problems of red tape, and turning devastation into hope, the parents agree to donate their son’s organs. Five years after their brave decision, a film crew visits them and records their slow path of reconciliation with death – or rather, their acquaintance with eternal life.

In the 24-minute ‘Congenital’, Roja is a young village girl who marries a religious old man as blood money. She is forced and the old man wants her. But the old man doesn’t know Roja's secret.

The 24th Religion Today selected ‘Esau’ by Pavel Lungin as best film and ‘Diversity’ by Martina Huismann and Marc Eggers as best short film. ‘Man of God’ by Yelena Popovic from the US won The Spirit of Faith Grand Prix.

The 24th edition of the Religion Today Film Festival was held on September 22-29, 2021.

The latest edition of the festival also hosted Iranian filmmaker Elaheh Nobakht as a jury member.

Read more:

South Korean jury honors Iranian ‘Holy Bread’

‘Holy Bread’ scoops awards at Trento Film Festival

Iranian ‘Holy Bread’ wins at ZagrebDox

Iranian short doc ‘I Won’t Remain Alone’ reveals trailer

Saratov Sufferings filmfest honors Iranian ‘I Won’t Remain Alone’

Zlin Film Festival awards Iran’s ‘Congenital’

MG/MG