The International Film Festival of Kashmir – 2015, organized by the Experimental Moving Images and Theater Association, started at the Tagore Hall here today with feature films and long documentaries.
On Day one, the festival showcased films based on social drama, romantic tragedies, and ethnic identity, highlight diverse world issues, culture, and politics.
A total of six films were screened today, which included three feature films made in Iran, Assam, and Gilgit-Baltistan respectively, and two documentaries.
The award-winning film ‘Absolute Rest’, directed by Iranian filmmaker Abdolreza Kahani was appreciated by all. “This is a matter of satisfaction for us as the selection of films on the first day was received well by the audience especially youth,” said Ali Emran, the festival curator.
“The Iranian movie ‘Absolute Rest’, focusing on the problems of women was applauded by the audience,” he said.
The film recounts the story of a woman who leaves her hometown with her child after getting a divorce, but her ex-husband does everything he can to force her to go back. This was the Asian Premier of the film, Emran said.
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Kahani is the jury member of the international competition 2015.
Elyor Ishmukhamedov , Uzbekistan. Chairman of the jury.
Vladas Bagdonas , Lithuania. Theater and film actor, professor, dean of the acting department of the Lithuanian Conservatory.
Junsuke Kinoshita , Japan, film actor, director, writer, television presenter.
Tatyana Kolganova , Russia, theater, and film actress.
Abdolreza Kahani, Iran, film director, screenwriter.
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Despite having one of the most diverse bodies of work in the past decade of Iranian cinema, Abdolreza Kahani is also one of the most suppressed filmmakers in Iran. His films have mostly been confiscated or banned from public screenings and are not allowed to be shown in many international festivals since all of his work encroaches on the limits of the Islamic Republic.
The following is a telephone interview with Kahani following the Fajr Film Festival’s decision to remove Absolute Rest from the list of official selections. At this writing, he is awaiting approval for a possible commercial release. We first discussed the nature of independent filmmaking in Iran before looking at the specific characteristics of Kahani’s work.
You have introduced yourself on various occasions as an independent filmmaker. What does it mean to be an independent filmmaker in Iran? Is it merely a matter of financial freedom?
More than having financial independence, having disinterested opinions with regard to any norm or party also makes an independent filmmaker. It means freedom of thought so that you can build what you like. It means investing in a movie from your own thoughts rather than waiting for others to invest and tell you what to think and make. When I say I am an independent filmmaker, I mean that I can put my own thoughts into a movie without the obligations that come with sponsorships.
What are the most important concerns of an independent Iranian filmmaker?
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“We’ve Got Time”, a French film of Abdolreza Kahani, will be showed in the independent forum competition by the Karlovy Vary film festival. This movie has been shot in France and the story is about an Iranian student whose name is Emad and his relationship with a French girl, Caroline. After the success of Kahani in the last Karlovy Vary film festival with the film of “Twenty” (Bist), the script of “We’ve Got Time” has written by this festival’s support and this movie will be showed for two times in the festival.
There are a number of leading movies in the festival this year such as “Boyhood” from Richard Linklater, “Timbuktu” directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, “Stray Dogs” directed by Tsai Ming Liang, “Still the Water” directed by Naomi Kawase, “Mommy” directed by Xavier Dolan, “Misunderstood” directed by Asia Argento and “Leviathan” directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, which have been screened infamous festivals in this year, are present in the Horizons section of the festival’s program.
This is one of the high-rank film festivals around the world and it has four main competition sections such as official selection competition, east of the west competition, forum of independents competition and documentary competition and also the festival provides four subsidiary sections such as horizons, out of competition, another view and special events.
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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.
“Over There” (Aan Ja), detailing the green card dilemmas of an Iranian man, has nabbed top prize at Thessaloniki Film Festival, South-east Europe’s leading sprocket opera.
Along with the Golden Alexander for best feature, the Abdolreza Kahani-helmed pic pocketed a check for Euro 37,000 ($47,000) at the fest’s closing ceremony Sunday.
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