'Alphabet', ‘Are You Volleyball?!’ to vie at Speechless filmfest

Two Iranian films have been selected to be screened at the 6th edition of the Speechless Film Festival in the US.

Kianoush Abedi's animation 'Alphabet' and ‘Are You Volleyball?!’ directed by Mohammad Bakhshi are the films to represent Iran at the competition section of the festival.

The 6-minute animated piece 'Alphabet' depicts a nation that has forgotten the alphabet of living. They cannot see, hear, or speak, but the words are waiting for them eagerly.

‘Alphabet’ has so far joined some international film events, winning a number of awards, including the best short film award at the 5th Sayulita Film Festival in Mexico and the Best Experimental and Animation award at the 6th Speechless Film Festival in the US.

The short film ‘Are You Volleyball?!’ tells the story of a group of Arab speaking asylum seekers who have lost their pacifications during the war and are seeking a better place in the world to live in. They arrive on the border and the story starts.

The Iranian short film has so far succeeded to win a number of awards from internationally acclaimed film events such as the Global Film Los Angeles Film Festival in the US and the Milan Film Festival in Italy.

The Speechless Film Festival is a 3-day multimedia event that showcases works by local and international artists.

The unique mission of the festival is to foster cross-cultural engagement through the celebration of visual storytelling, a creative endeavor rooted deeply in the history of cinema.

The 6th edition of the event is slated to be held on April 12-14, 2018.

FM/MG