Malaysian film festival nominates Iranian movie ‘Blockage’

The 2nd edition of the Malaysia International Film Festival & Malaysia Golden Global Awards (MIFfest) has nominated Iranian movie ‘Blockage’ for 6 awards.

The flick is nominated for best direction (Mohsen Qaraei), best script (Saeed Roustaei), best film (Bahman Kamyar), best leading actor (Hamed Behdad), best supporting actress (Giti Qasemi) and best supporting actor (Nader Fallah).

‘Blockage’ chronicles a devastating chaos that occurs to a ferocious, contemptible man who works as a street vendor control officer.

Qasem is a temporary worker who cracks down on illegal street stalls in Tehran. His hot temper always invites trouble, and recently, he was caught getting kickbacks from stall keepers, impeding his chance to re-sign the contract.

His plan to get a truck with his wife’s share of an inheritance from her parents conflicts with her dream to move out of her parents’ house with the same money.

When Qasem argues with a stall owner, the stall owner comes to Qasem’s house deep in the night and makes suspicious demands. He even comes to Qasem’s office and threatens him with a lawsuit.

‘Blockage’ follows a few confusing days in Qasem’s life, who is good at making backdoor deals. It takes the audience’s breath away by chasing the struggles of the protagonist with the opportunity of a lifetime in his hands.

The flick has attended a number of international events so far, winning some awards, including the best film prize at New Currents section of the 22nd Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.

Established in 2016 by a group of influential and outstanding individuals from Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, the MIFfest is aimed to provide opportunities and an accessible platform for movie producers at a local and international level to champion new creative talents.

The MIFfest is set to celebrate the best international and local films before audiences worldwide.

The 2nd edition of the Malaysia International Film Festival is slated for February 25 to March 2, 2018, and the Malaysia Golden Global Awards night will be held on March 3.

MG/MF