TEHRAN – Iranian director Saeid Rustai’s acclaimed drama “Just 6.5” and his fellow filmmaker Farnush Samadi’s short movie “The Role” will compete in the 55th Chicago International Film Festival.

In “Just 6.5”, detective Samad takes on a powerful drug kingpin in a fierce battle to stem the rising tide of drug addiction in Iran. Opening with a high-octane roundup of suspects and addicts that culminates in a punishing finale, the film tracks Samad as he tries to bring in top dealer Nasser. But landing him in jail is just the beginning. 

The movie will be screened in the New Directors Competition that features bold works from emerging talents.

“Just 6.5” received a special mention at the 15th Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland on Sunday. American filmmaker Oliver Stone presided over the festival’s jury composed of Italian screenwriter Laura Bispuri, Colombian director Ciro Guerra, German actor Sebastian Koch and Swiss producer Tiziana Soudani.

In “The Role”, a marriage is tested when a woman accompanies her husband to an audition and discovers her own talent for acting.

The film will compete in Women in Cinema, a program that elevates women creators and promotes films by and about women, making space for new kinds of stories and new voices.

The Chicago International Film Festival will open with a screening of American director Edward Norton’s “Motherless Brooklyn” and will come to an end with American filmmaker Jim Farrell’s documentary “The Torch”, about Buddy Guy, the Chicago legend who remains the standard-bearer for the blues at 83.

Photo: Babak Hamidian and Mina Sadati act in a scene from “The Role” directed by Farnush Samadi.

MMS/YAW