TEHRAN – Iranian short cinema is being reviewed during a special program at the Jacksonville Film Festival underway in the city located on the Atlantic coast of Florida.

Nine movies by Iranian filmmakers have been selected to be screened in the program entitled “Iran to Jax Shorts”.

A highlight of the program is “The Recess” by Navid Nikkhah-Azad, winner of the award for best dramatic short film at the 15th San Francisco Frozen Film Festival.

The movie tells the story of Sahar, a 17-year-old student who is determined to skip high school during recess and go to the football stadium to watch the football match between Esteghlal F.C. vs. Al-Ain as part of the AFC Champions League, which is against the national ban prohibiting women from entering football stadiums in Iran.

“The Box” directed by Amin Hosseinpur is also among the films.

The story of the film is set in an unknown place, where a father lives with his son in a gas station. The father has many confrontations with his son. The father suffers from his son’s obesity and his son prefers food over anything else.

The program is also screening “Cinema, the Only Shelter” by Masiha Abuali.

This movie is about the children who have found the cure for their pain in cinema; those who call cinema their teacher. They use cinema to grow and get close to themselves. These people live in movies and learn how to live with the help of cinema.

Iran to Jax Shorts also features “Cutstein” by Hamidreza Khoshbazan, “Dedicated to Tehran” by Ali Bateni and Armin Tahmasbi, “Freeway” by Mohammad Akbari, “Hoda’s House” by Hamed Qasemi, “One Twenty, Twelve Hundred” by Saeid Zarei and “Shadow of the Fox” by Nushin Meraji.

The Jacksonville Film Festival, which ends on Sunday, is screening several other Iranian films in various categories.

“The Badger” by Kazem Mollai is competing in the feature narrative section.

The acclaimed movie is about Sudeh, a 40-year-old woman who faces a strange incident right before her second marriage. Sudeh and her son Matiar live in an old apartment. 

One day, she hires a pest control company to solve the termite problems in the apartment. While the pest control company is working, Matiar is recording the procedures, as this is his hobby. The next day, Matiar gets kidnapped after school, and the kidnapper asks Sudeh to pay 10 Bitcoins for her son. Tremendous pressure is put on Sudeh, but the truth hidden beneath will surprise everyone.

Photo: “The Recess” by Navid Nikkhah-Azad.

MMS/YAW