Annual Top Films Lists

Top 200 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2023: #122. Roya Sadat’s Sima’s Song

Published on January 11, 2023

Sima’s Song

Word on the socials is that Roya Sadat kickstarted her next project with Greece aiding Afghanistan to double down efforts to recreate a Kabul backdrop. A Spain-Netherlands-France co-production, formerly known as “The Forgotten History,” Sima’s Song sees the friendship of two girls disrupted by their opposing ideals. Supported by Eurimages in early ’22, the sophomore film follows the Locarno preemed A Letter To The President (2018). Alba Sotorra, Frank Hoeve and Maeva Savinien produced the project. We’re thinking Venice for this one.

Gist: In the pre-civil war context in Afghanistan, the childhood friendship of Suraya (21, communist, wealthy) and Sima (20, conservative, humble Muslim) is broken when Sima’s brother is arrested and killed by the communist party in which Suraya participates.

Release Date/Prediction: We believe this is either a competition or Orizzonti entry at the Venice Film Festival.

Eric Lavallée

Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).