TEHRAN – “Ága” by Bulgarian director Milko Lazarov and “Grain” by Turkish filmmaker Semih Kaplanoğlu will be screened in the official competition of the 36th Fajr International Film Festival, the organizers have announced.

The story of “Grain” inspired by a chapter from the Holy Quran is set in a world, which in the near future, an abrupt climate change has led to the extinction of life.

The film won the Tokyo Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2017.

Kaplanoğlu is scheduled to attend the Fajr festival to hold a workshop during the event, which will take place in Tehran from April 19 to 27.

Bulgarian/German/French coproduction “Ága” tells a story Nanuk and Sedna, two inuits which live in a yurt among the snowy fields of the north with the dream of reuniting their family. They live in the spirit of the traditions of their ancestors. When Sedna’s health gets worse and she dies, Nanuk decides to fulfill her last wish - to find their long-gone daughter Ága, who has chosen the life in the city and has forgotten their traditions.

This film was screened in the official competition of the Berlin International Film Festival this year.

Photo: A scene from Turkish filmmaker Semih Kaplanoğlu’s “Grain”

MMS