US film festival to screen 2 movies from Iranian cinema

The 40th edition of the Portland International Film Festival has scheduled to screen two Iranian films in the New Directors section.

The US event, to be held on February 9-25, will display ‘Life+1 Day’ directed by Saeed Roustaei and ‘Parting’ directed by Navid Mahmoudi.

Roustaei’s ‘Life+1 Day’ and Mahmoudi’s ‘Parting’ will go on screen in the New Directors section, in which new and emerging filmmakers represent the new generation of master storytellers.

‘Life+1 Day’ depicts a poor family that has a young girl. The girl, Somayyeh, is contemplating whether she should leave her family to marry a rich Afghan boy or to stay with his struggling siblings and continue to patch up her broken family. A recovering addict, her older brother wants her to leave, while her younger brother, still an addict, asks her to stay and not to give up on her family.

Roustaei’s movie has received several awards at the 34th Fajr International Film Festival last year.

‘Parting’, a joint production of Iran and Afghanistan, tells the story of Nabi and Fereshteh who are in love, but the girl’s family’s flight from Afghanistan has separated them. After years apart, Nabi decides to find Fereshteh and risk the hardship of flight and resettlement in Europe with a hope of a better life.

Established in 1977, the Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) is an annual showcase of the very best in new world cinema. Drawing an audience of more than 40,000, PIFF is the largest film event in Oregon, premiering more than 140 international shorts and feature films every February.

MG/AI