Poland New Horizons festival to screen movies from Iran
TEHRAN –(Iranart)- Three Iranian films will be screened in various categories of the New Horizons International Film Festival, which will be held from August 12 to 29 in Wroclaw, Poland.
“The Wasteland” by Ahmad Bahrami will be screened in the New Horizons International Competition.
The drama is about Loftollah, a man who lives in a godforsaken land. He is a dutiful messenger between his boss and the destitute inhabitants of a colony that has manufactured bricks as long as anyone can remember.
Its time has now come, however: bricks are no longer in demand. Everyone must leave. Loftollah, who has lived there his entire life, delivers the bad news and helps people pack up and move away. But what will become of him?
This neorealist film made a low-key sensation during last year’s festival season. Upon its world premiere in Venice, it won three awards, including Best Film in the Horizons section and the critics’ FIPRESCI Prize.
The remarkable picture posits, among other things, that the most destructive consequence of job loss is not poverty, but the ensuing loss of empathy for others. When people no longer realize that they’re part of a near-feudal system, they won’t protest, even if life is on the line.
The film’s original statement is framed by black-and-white images, mining a rich vein of captivating atmosphere and timeless symbolism out of the forbidding wasteland.
“The Wasteland” also won the Firebird Award for the best film at the 45th edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival in April.
“A Hero” by Asghar Farhadi has been selected to be screened in the OPPO Gala Screenings section.
It is a fascinating drama about a man who goes to debtor’s prison. During a two-day leave, Rahim receives a bag of valuables and faces a dilemma of whether to appropriate the loss, pay off the creditor and ensure his freedom, or follow his conscience and find the owner.
Another Iranian movie is “Hit the Road” by Panah Panahi will be showcased in the Discoveries section.
The film revolves around a four-member family that is driving through a picturesque, mountainous Iranian landscape. But it soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary family outing.
source: Tehran Times