Director: Shirin Neshat
Cast: Pegah Ferydoni, Orsi Tóth, Arita Shahrzad, Shabnam Tolouie
Distributor: Rights Available.
Buzz: Invited to compete in Venice (where the buzz will officially begin), I believe the project was born out of visual artist Shirin Neshat’s ongoing video and short film work and thus culminating into a stitched feature-length film. Participation on the project includes cinematographer Martin Gschlacht (Revanche) and the musical composer is the great underused Ryuichi Sakamoto (Oscar winner for The Last Emperor and Babel). Add this to the list of films that will never see the day of light in Iran, but will be talked about in both in film and political spheres.
The Gist: This is based on a magic realist novel written by Iranian author Sharnush Parsipur. The narrative interweaves the lives of four Iranian women during the summer of 1953, a pivotal moment in Iranian history when an American led Coup d’état brought down the democratically elected Prime Minister Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh and reinstalled the Shah to power. The film chronicles the lives of the four characters in parallel manner. Each woman appearing to be suffering and running away from some sort of social, cultural or sexual oppression; yet their lives mysteriously converge in an orchard where they attempt to create their own society. The story follows the construction and eventual breakdown of this ‘utopian’ society.
TIFF Schedule: TBA
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