Iran doc ‘20th Circuit Suspects’ joins APSA film festival

Iran documentary ‘20th Circuit Suspects’ has been selected to vie at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA).

Iran’s Documentary and Experimental Film Center submitted Hessam Eslami’s acclaimed documentary to the 11th edition of the APSA, which will be held in the Australian city of Brisbane on November 23.

‘20th Circuit Suspects’ tells the story of a developing friendship between a car burglar and his victim.

The director follows the gang over the next six years, detailing their wild criminal romp through the streets of Tehran, breaking into cars, committing robberies and fighting in the streets.

The film also examines the gang’s cat-and-mouse games with police, as the adolescents realize their behavior may not be working for them any longer.

The documentaries submission to the APSA marks the 11th entry from Iran to the Australian event, following the Iranian House of Cinema’s submissions of nine films earlier this week.

Among the listing is Iranian director Ali Nouri-Oskouei’s acclaimed animation ‘Release from Heaven’, ‘Twenty-One Days Later’ by Mohammadreza Kheradmandan, ‘The Skater’ by Fereydoun Najafi, ‘Ferrari’ by Alireza Davoudnejad and ‘Subdued’ by Hamid Nematollah.

Also included are ‘The Home’ by Asghar Yousefinejad, ‘No Date, No Signature’ by Vahid Jalilvand, ‘The Villa Tenants’ by Monir Qeidi and ‘Yeva’ by Anahid Abad.

Earlier last month, Iran’s Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) also submitted ‘The End of Dreams’ by Mohammad-Ali Talebi to the APSA.

In 2016, ‘Starless Dreams’ by Mehrdad Oskouei brought home the best feature documentary from the APSA. The Iranian titles receiving nominations at the event were ‘Daughter’ by Reza Mirkarimi, ‘Muhammad: Messenger of God’ by Majid Majidi and ‘Breath’ by Narges Abyar.

AI/MG