Life goes on in Kahani’s “Twenty” at Karlovy Vary festival

Life goes on in Kahani’s “Twenty” at Karlovy Vary “Twenty”, a tragi-comic film by Iranian director Abdolreza Kahani was screened Sunday in the competition section of the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.
Kahani along with actress Mahtab Karamati and film editor Shima Monfared attended the question and answer panel held after the screening.
Kahani first talked about the situation of filmmaking in Iran and then answered a question asked about the influence of Western movies on Iranian cineastes.
He said, “We watch films a lot in Iran especially Western movies and documentaries. I personally do not watch any movies two months before shooting my new film in order to better concentrate on my project. I like my work to be fresh to myself.”
To the question asked what message he tried to give to the audience via his movie, he answered, “I am not much into giving a message through my works. But I like the audience to know that life is going on and we have the right to be happy in this life and make the best use of the opportunity life has provided for us.”
Kahani has previously told in one of his interviews that the situation in Iran has made filmmakers more creative and experience new ways, “Out of the three movies I have made, two did not find their way to the silver screen in Iran, but still, Iranian reporters call me a lucky filmmaker.” (Kahani’s “Over There” had grabbed the “Golden Alexander” at the 49th International Thessaloniki Film Festival, Greece last year.)
“I believe there are no boundaries between cinema and humanity. I’m interested in mankind and humanity and I have not tried to restrict my movies to a specific country. The concept and general theme of all my works are people.”
Starring Parviz Parastuii and Mahtab Karamati, “Twenty” focuses on a once-popular reception hall now reduced to catering to the funeral business, whose workers are struggling to preserve it.
In addition, actress Niki Karimi was selected for the Grand Jury of the festival, while she is also holding a series of workshops during the program, which ends on Saturday.
Iranian award-winning film “About Elly,” a drama by director Asghar Farhadi, will also be screened in the festival’s Horizons, a section dedicated to the latest productions from around the world.