Durban Int’l Film Festival to screen Iranian short film

The 38th edition of the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) has screened an Iranian short film.

‘Retouch’ directed by Kaveh Mazaheri will go on screen at Bat Center of the South African festival on July 19. The Iranian film will compete with 51 films from other countries.

The Iranian short film was introduced to the Academy Awards through Poland’s Krakow Film Festival in June as well as the New York-based Tribeca Film Festival in April.

Produced by the Iranian Young Cinema Society, it is about a young woman whose husband dies before her eyes and she just observes the tragic scene.

In the corner of the home, Maryam's husband does weightlifting. Suddenly, the weight falls on his throat and puts him between life and death. Maryam tries to save him, but she just decides to stop helping and stand and watch her husband's death.

After she makes sure her husband is dead, gathered her stuff and goes out with her child. During the day, she pretends her husband is disappeared and she does not have any news.

‘Retouch’ won the Audience Award at the Portuguese Vila do Conde Film Festival recently.

The cast and crew of the Iranian short film presented their prize grabbed at Vila do Conde Filmfest to the late math genius Maryam Mirzakhani.

Launched in 1979, DIFF is an annual film festival that takes place in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. It is one of the oldest and largest film festivals in Southern Africa which presents more than 200 screenings celebrating the best in South African, African and international cinema.

The festival also offers filmmaker workshops, industry seminars, discussion forums, and outreach activities that include screenings in township areas where cinemas are non-existent, and much more, including Talent Campus Durban and a Durban FilmMart co-production market.

The 38th edition of the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) has been slated for July 13-23 in the coastal city of Durban in South Africa.

MG/MMF