Movies by Iranian filmmakers to participate in Berlinale’s Panorama, Generation, Forum sections

According to The Iran Project,“My Stolen Planet” directed by Farahnaz Sharifi, “What Did You Dream Last Night, Parajanov?” by Faraz Fesharaki, “Sheep” by Hadi Babaeifar, and “Maydegol” by Sarvnaz Alambeigi are the films made by Iranian directors, selected in different sections of the festival, Honaronline reported.

The Panorama section will showcase 31 titles including one series and 25 world premieres. The documentary “My Stolen Planet” directed by Farahnaz Sharifi will have its world premiere at the section.

A joint production of Iran and Germany, it is about an Iranian woman who is forced to flee into her own world to be free. In the form of Super 8 films and sound recordings, she buys other people’s memories, archives her own, and uses them to create an alternative history of her homeland.

The Forum section will present 30 films from 30 territories. Iranian-German cinematographer Faraz Fesharaki’s directorial feature debut “What Did You Dream Last Night, Parajanov?” is a documentary capturing his own family’s diaspora experiences, which will have its world premiere in the section.

A webcam dialogue between Berlin and Isfahan: Fesharaki documents conversations with his family over 10 years. This debut film blends recordings, text, and VHS memories into a warm, melancholy intergenerational portrait.

The Generation 14plus competition section will showcase 32 works, including seven debut films and 22 world premieres. The short film “Sheep” by Hadi Babaeifar will have its world premiere at the event.

The flick shows a little girl who lives with her mother in Tehran. Discovering that the sheep in her neighbors’ backyard are being sacrificed in a traditional ritual, she decides to save as many sheep as she can.

The documentary “Maydegol” by Sarvnaz Alambeigi is another film that will have its world premiere in the Generation section.

A joint production of Iran, Germany, and France, it is about an Afghan teenager living as an immigrant in Iran who strives to pursue her dream of becoming a professional Muay Thai boxer while battling the social injustice and violence she encounters beyond the ring.

In addition, it was announced last week that the digitally restored version of “Coming of Age” directed by Iranian filmmaker Sohrab Shahid-Saless (1944–1998) will be shown at the Classics section of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.

In addition to Shahid-Saless’ film, nine other films have been restored and will be screened in the Classics section of this year’s Berlinale. Among the restored versions, there are two gems by Ernst Lubitsch. One is his silent film “Kohlhiesel’s Daughters” and the other is his first talkie “The Love Parade”. Ishirō Honda’s “Gojira” (Godzilla), “After Hours” by Martin Scorsese, John Schlesinger’s “The Day of the Locust,” and Andrei Tarkovsky’s “The Sacrifice”.

The Berlinale is a unique place of artistic exploration and entertainment. It is one of the largest public film festivals in the world, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe each year. For the film industry and the media, the eleven days from February 15 to 25 are also one of the most important events in the annual calendar and an indispensable trading forum.

Reporter : Editorial of The Iran Project