Let’s get updated with latest on Iranian cinema

Let’s get updated with the latest events in Iranian art of cinema during the past week.

The Olhar de Cinema – Curitiba International Film Festival in Brazil awarded Iranian movie ‘Careless Crime’. Directed by Shahram Mokri, the 135-minute Iranian movie won the award for best film at the New Views section of the Brazilian event.

Written by Nasim Ahmadpour and Mokri and going back to forty years ago, the movie’s story starts during the uprising to overthrow the Shah’s regime in Iran. Then, protestors set fire to movie theaters as a way of showing opposition to Western culture and burned down many cinemas.

In one tragic case, a theater was set on fire with four hundred people inside and most of them were burned alive. Now in contemporary Iran, after forty years, four individuals also decide to burn down a movie theater.

Acclaimed Iranian drama ‘Sun Children’ succeeded to receive the main award of the 26th SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival for Children and Young Audiences in Germany. Majid Majidi’s ‘Sun Children’, which was screened at the Junior Film category, grabbed the Award of the City of Chemnitz.   

The jury praised ‘Sun Children’ in a statement published on Tuesday, saying “The film manages to make us realize clearly that all children are created equal and deserve education and encouragement. That all children should have a chance for education and perspectives in their lives and the right to be protected and cared for.”

“We could not help but award this film by director Majid Majidi. The incredible depth of the narrative, the complexity of the story, the impressive images, and the great performance especially by the young actor Ruhollah Zamani convinced us,” they noted.

Co-written by Javidi and Majidi, ‘Sun Children’ tells the story of a bunch of kids who work quite hard to financially support their needy families while they sometimes commit petty crimes to make easy money. Everything changes, however, when one of them is entrusted to find a hidden treasure underground, but he must first enroll at the Sun (Khorshid) School, a charitable institution that tries to educate street kids and children suffering child labor.

Iranian short film ‘Identibye’ won an award at the Jozi Film Festival in South Africa. Directed by Sajjad Shah-Hatami, the film grabbed the best short film award at the international section of the 10th edition of the event.

The film’s main character faces a dilemma regarding one’s innermost feelings. He must choose between sense and sensibility. The ones closest to him have always judged him and these never-ending judgments fear him and make him doubt. He now has to work fast to achieve his goal; because, he knows that one’s true identity is what matters most to them.

The BFI London Film Festival in the UK named Iranian feature ‘Hit the Road’ the best film. Grabbing the Best Film award of the English film event’s 65th edition makes Panah Panahi’s directorial debut fitting the criterion Malgorzata Szumowska has for the best film. He puts it this way, “The Best Film award recognizes inspiring and distinctive filmmaking that captures the essence of cinema. The essence of life! At all times in cinema history, but perhaps during a pandemic especially, we are looking for ways to connect to life. Our choice is for a film that made us laugh and cry and feel alive”.

‘Hit the Road’ tells the story of a couple and their two sons who go on a road journey to a destination that remains mysterious. Meanwhile, the road trip with all the comedy and drama it entails takes place in the mesmerizing nature of Iran.

Read more:

London fest awards Iran’s ‘Hit the Road’

‘Identibye’ grabs award at Jozi filmfest

SCHLiNGEL Film Festival awards Majidi’s ‘Sun Children’

Brazilian festival awards Iran’s ‘Careless Crime’

MG/MG