264 In the Name of God Download PDF version of FIFF Festival Catalogue Signs Asian premiere A.P. International premiere Int.p. National premiere N.P. How to use the app World premiere W.P. get.winkere.com Regional premiere R.P. Middle East premiere ME.P Question & Answer Q&A 3 2 1 Original Voice OV Director Of Photography DOP Catalogue of 35th Fajr International Film Festival Tehran, 21st-28th. April. 2017 Supervisor: Kayvan Kassirian Editor-in-chief: Somayeh Alipour With Special Thanks to Amir Esfandiari, Iraj Taghipour, Kamyar Mohs- enin, Ali Eftekhari, Raha Pourghassem English to Persian Translator: Lida Sadrololamayi, Hafez Rouhani, Farzad Mozafari, Ghodratollah Shafiee Persian to English Translator: Ghanbar Naderi, Ahmad Khouzani, Hos- sein Bouye Editor: Masoumeh Alipour Art Manager: Hamidreza Baydaghi Graphics: Afshin Ziaeeian Alipour, Leili Eskandarpour Print Supervisor: Mehrdad Haji Hassani Printing: Senobar The Official apps of FIFF Message of Head of Iranian Cinema Organization 4 Message of the Festival Director 5 About 34th Fajr Film Festival 7 Rules and Regulations of 35th Fajr Festival 11 Juries 15 International Competition 27 Panorama of Films from Asian and Islamic Countries 73 Festival of Festivals 119 Docs in Focus 135 Special Screenings 149 Classics Preserved 177 Korean Cinema 189 Baltic Cinema 197 Shadows of Horror 205 Broken Olive Trees 213 Enviromental Films 225 Interfaith Competition Nominees 227 Here is the Friend’s Home 229 Workshops 239 Organization 255 Index 261 Message of Head Iranian Cinema Organization Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance and Head of Iranian Cinema Organization 4 Mohammad Mehdi Heydarian has sent the followin message to the organizers of this year’s Fajr International Film Festival. In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful It is because of the efforts made by young artists and proficient film makers that the Iranian cinema is moving forward, showing its growing cinematic clout in making movies for global audiences. Our main efforts should be focused on putting under the spotlight films with a uniquely- Ira nian perspective. We should make efforts to preserve our place in the international market. Fajr International Film Festival is an excellent opportunity and a place for popularizing this clout and capability; for making that connection with global audiences through the silver screen. The sections of this year’s run have been designed to specifically move us in this direction. They will help us demonstrate and publicize the academic balance of Iranian cinema thru holding film making workshops for young students from across the globe. The Film Market is likewise an excellent opportunity to showcase the quality, quantity, and diversity of Irani- an movies to international buyers and distributors. Same could be said about the competi- tion sections. These sections are unlike any other in the world. They are intended to pave the way for wider presence of Iranian movies in the international market. I would like to wish every success for the Iranian film industry and film makers. I would also like to wish every success for the organizers of this year’s event, who are doing everything they can to attract wider national and international audiences to watch Iranian movies. I am hoping that this will be yet another sign of distinction and greatness, and indeed a platform for the popularization of our cinema in the world. Mohammad Mehdi Heydarian Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance And Head of Iranian Cinema Organization In the Name of God Last year a decision was made to give greater freedom to the festival’s di- rector in matters related to the artistic side of the annual event – selection of movies in particular. The director accepted this key responsibility. He also took the responsibility to seek the counsel of film experts and critics from all over the world in carefully viewing and selecting this year’s lineups. In the end, an international selection committee was formed; whose -mem bers took into consideration the following criteria: -The film shall exhibit thought-provoking cinematic themes. -The film shall exhibit inspirational premises and cultivate a realistic hope of creative -trans formation. - As appropriate to the film’s subject matter, the film shall foster the new cinema wave in the region. -The film shall exhibit sensitivity to the human situation and promote the common good, including world peace. A key purpose of this year’s event is also to introduce the Iranian cinema to our interna- tional guests and participants. The focus is on helping contemporary film directors, screen- writers and movie buffs in Iran to get acquainted with their international counterparts who are equally unwavering in challenging the mainstream Hollywood system. Predictably, this has forced the festival to distance itself from the mainstream cinema in a bid to provide a greater understanding and appreciation for both the content and form of movies made Director’s Message outside the mainstream Hollywood system. After all, the main concern for any international film festival has to be to discover non-mainstream cinemas and to provide support for inde- pendent movies with inclusive stories that promote nonalignment and diversity. 5 To this end, we have doubled our efforts to choose some of the best independent movies the world has ever made, through which our own standard, ethical, and cultural codes are also met. Here, new gems have been discovered as well: Korean Cinema, Baltic States Cinema, Midnight Screenings, and Broken Oil Trees. A glance at the competition section will reveal that an extensive search has been made to select some of the best feature-length movies of the recent years, movies that might even pave the way for the next new wave in cinema. Some of this year’s entries, however, are Faith-based; some seek justice and promote com- mon good; while many others lay emphasis on the importance of recognizing the human value and dignity. They ask new questions from their audiences – all between the fine line of ethics and human redemption. It is not our intention to impose our opinions and wills on others. Nor are we willing to em- barrass ourselves by allowing others to sway us. It is our belief that mutual respect is all that is really needed to forge new landscapes of cross-cultural interactions in a globalizing world. In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity and pay tribute to Nezami Ganjavi, a 12th-century Iranian poet, whose masterpiece The Seven Beauties (Haft Peykar) is a festival of picture, color and music that celebrates love, friendship, and human feat the world over. Saturday is the day of black Saturn (India). Sunday is the day of yellow Sun (European Byzantine). Monday is the day of blue Moon (Central Asia). Tuesday is the day of red Mars (Northern Europe). Wednesday is the color turquoise (Africa). Thursday is the day of pink Jupiter (Far East). And Friday is the day of white Venus (Iran). Each one a legend, each one full of wonders, and all illustrating the harmony of the universe… Reza Mirkarimi- Director of Fajr International Film Festival Festival Director 6 Reza Mirkarimi (Festival Director) Reza Mirkarimi, born in 1966 in Tehran, is an Iranian screenwriter and film director. He has graduated in Graphics from Tehran University, the Faculty of Fine Arts. He started his cinematic career with a 16mm short film, called “For Him”. He made his first fea- ture film, “The Child and the Soldier”, in 1999 – a film which won him national and international recognition. Ever since, he has written and directed several critically acclaimed films, such as, “Un- der the Moonlight”, “Here a Light Is Shining”, “So Close, So Far”, “As Simple As That”, “A Cube of Sugar”, “Today”, and “Daughter”. “Daughter”, the new film by Mirkarimi won directing and acting awards in Asian and European festivals such as Goa, Moscow and Asia Pacific Screen Awards. 7 About 34th FIFF 34rd FIFF at a Glance 8 34th FIFF at a Glance Presided over by Reza Mirkarimi, the 34th edition of Fajr International Film Festival took place in Tehran from 20 to 26 April, 2016. The festival poster was designed based on a scene from the 1969 film The Cow direct- ed by Dariush Mehrjui. The main venue was the Charsou Cinema Complex. A Tehran walking tour was organized on the sidelines of the main event. Sections 14 films graced the Cinema Salvation section (International Competition), with two entries from Iran. 16 films competed in the Eastern Vista section (Panorama of Films from Asian and Islamic Countries), with three entries from Iran. In the Festival of Fes- tivals ten films, in the Special Screenings (Retrospectives and Memorials) 14 films of which three were Iranian and 6 French as A Retrospective of French Cinema, were screened, along with 18 shorts. In the Restored Classics section, Albert Lamorisse’s 1970 film The Lover’s Wind, Dari- ush Mehrjui’s The Cow (which the festival’s poster was based on), and The Land of the Lion and the Sun by Russian filmmaker Vladimir Erofeev were screened. Awards The Golden Simorgh and Silver Simorgh in different categories went for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress. The Muhammad Al-Ameen (PBUH) Award was introduced for the first time to com- memorate the Holy Prophet of Islam. It replaced the Mustafa Akad Award for top ethical and religious feature-length movies. Sidelines A new film training workshop entitled Darolfonoun was set up for the first time to spot new talents in show business. The second run of the hands-on training workshop will be held this year. It is commit- ted to helping Iranian and international students with experience in filmmaking to ac- quire the professional artistic and technical skills necessary in order to enter and build a career in the audiovisual industry.