Several Iranian productions are partaking in the Cannes Film Festival 2016 which was inaugurated on Wednesday (May 11) in the French resort town of Cannes.
Globally acclaimed filmmaker Asghar Farhadi represents Iran cinema in the competition section of the event with his latest film ‘The Salesman’ which will be presented in Cannes by its French title ‘The Client’.
The film vies for the main prize Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) with 20 other works by famous directors including Steven Spielberg’s ‘The BFG’, Jeff Nichols ‘Loving’, Sean Penn’s ‘The Last Face’, Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Elle’, Ken Loach’s ‘Moi, Daniel Blake’, Pedro Almodovar’s ‘Julieta’, Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Paterson’ and Dardenne Brothers’ ‘The Unknown Girl’.
Two screenings are scheduled for Farhadi’s film on May 21, ISNA reported.
It will be the world premiere of the movie which centers around a young couple who moves into a new apartment in central Tehran but an incident linked to the previous tenant will dramatically change their lives.
Long-time Farhadi collaborators Taraneh Alidoosti, who played in ‘About Elly’, and Shahab Hosseini, who appeared in ‘A Separation’, co-star as the central couple.
Un Certain Regard
‘Inversion’ written and directed by Behnam Behzadi is also Iran’s sole representative in the Un Certain Regard, a competitive section for young talent.
The film title refers to the phenomenon in which sudden temperature changes trap pollution. With Tehran’s smog levels soaring, a single 35-year-old woman, Niloofar, is facing a dilemma; should she leave the city with her mother, who is having trouble breathing, or stay behind to pursue a potential love interest.
Sahar Dowlatshahi, Ali Mosaffa, Setareh Pesyani, Shirin Yazdanbakhsh and Toufan Mehrdadian are the cast.
The screening is slated for May 18.
The short film ‘Unfortunately’ by Shahrokh Dolkou will be shown in the non-competitive Short Film Corner section.
The 26-minute work features known actors Atila Pesyani and Elham Korda. The movie is about a man in a cafe who talks to a woman about the problems with his wife.
The feature films ‘Rabies’ directed by Amir Ahmad Ansari, ‘Bodyguard’ by Ebrahim Hatamikia, ‘Standing in the Dust’ by Mohamad Hossein Mahdavian, the episodic film ‘Never’ by four directors as well as feature animations ‘The Last Fiction’ written and directed by Ashkan Rahgozar and ‘The Holy Cast’ by Mohamad Hamedani will be presented at the festival’s Film Market in a bid to sell their distribution rights to international buyers.
High Alert
Security at the 69th Cannes film festival is intense as France is still facing a high risk of terrorist attacks.
With 45,000 people expected to visit during the 12-day event, French authorities are on high alert with some 400 security agents, hundreds of police deployed and the Special Forces ready to intervene, Reuters quoted French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve as saying.
France has been under a state of emergency since attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS) killed 130 people last November at entertainment venues in and around Paris including a concert hall, cafes and the Stade, the France stadium.
“Against an enemy who is determined to strike at any time, we must be extremely vigilant at all times,” Cazeneuve said.
In 1978, French authorities thwarted an attack on the film festival when they discovered a bomb on the Palais des Festivals stage.
