TEHRAN -- A total of 24 films will be contending for the Crystal Simorgh of the Iranian Films Section at the 27th Fajr International Film Festival, which will take place in Tehran from January 30 to February 10.

Eight years after his box office hit, “Killing Mad Dogs”, stage and screen director Bahram Beizaii returns with “When All of Us Are Asleep”, on an accidental encounter.
“Penniless”, a story of a couple facing destitution, is the second film by Hamid Nematoollah, whose debut film “Boutique” was welcomed by Iranian critics.
Starring Reza Kianian along with a number of French actors, the socially themed film “Five Past Seven” by director Mohammad-Mehdi Asgarpur is another entry for this section.
The controversial Iranian filmmaker will participate in the festival with “Superstar”, an adaptation of a novel by German-Swiss author and painter Hermann Hesse. Her previous film “Cease-Fire”, based on U.S. writer Lucia Capacchione’s “Recovery of Your Inner Child”, earned a huge box office success in Iran and abroad.
“As Violet as Jasmine” by director Javad Ardakani, “Moon Is Shining Tonight” by Mohammad-Hadi Karimi, “On Foot” by Fereidun Hassanpur, and “Twenty” by Abdurreza Kahani are slated for screening in the Iranian film category.
In addition, “The Child and the Angel” by Parviz Shahbazi, “Kingdom of Solomon” by Shahriar Bahrani, and “The Postman Doesn’t Knock Three Times” by Hassan Fat’hi are among the films scheduled to compete at the event.
Photo: Leila Hatami (R) and Bahram Radan in a scene from “Penniless”