TEHRAN – The 52nd edition of the Sehsuchte International Student Film Festival in Germany will review Iranian short cinema in two special programs named Focus Iran I and Focus Iran II. 

One of the biggest film festivals for young filmmakers in Europe, the Sehsuchte festival will take place from April 19th until the 23rd in Potsdam.

A lineup of 12 movies will be screened in the programs. 

“In this program, we devote ourselves to Iranian films and want to highlight the Iranian film industry,” the organizers of Focus I said. 

“With the selected films, we want to draw attention to the situation in the country and still create space for the artistic work of the local people,” they added.

“Falling Up” by Maryam Bakhtiari is a highlight of this program.

One night, a man has an inexplicable dream. To get to the bottom of it, he visits the Institute of Dreams, where dreams are controlled and examined. He has an unexpected encounter in the process.

“The Other” and “The Region” are also among the films selected for this program.

In “The Other”, an animated film by Negah Sohrabi, Farhad is given the task of sorting the memoirs of a long-dead woman. While working, he falls in love with the old lady’s supposed niece. During their first date, he notices many new mysterious details.

Directed by Asma Ebrahimzadegan, “The Region” tells the story of a young woman who is confronted with the challenges of being a woman on set and fights for her freedom as a creative actress.

Focus II has been planned in cooperation with the Goethe Institute in Exile. The curator mainly deals with films by Iranian women.

This program features the animated films “Icky” by Parastu Cardgar and “Tangle” by Maliheh Gholamzadeh.

“Icky” shows there is a child who is different from the others in the world of people with a solved Rubik’s Cube head.

“Tangle” is about a young woman who loses her home in the war and with it all her memories and loved ones. It is now a matter of surviving and crossing geographical borders to leave the old life behind.

“Taxi is Here” by Sara Aqababayan and “Report on a Termination” by Tahereh Shabanian are also among the films selected for this program.

The Iranian film philosopher and critic Hamed Soleimanzadeh is a member of the jury for the feature film competition at the Sehsuchte festival. He is currently an Einstein Junior Fellow at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK).

In addition, “Liberation”, a short drama by Iranian filmmaker Milad Maleki Kahengi, will be screened in the Future Kids category.

Photo: A scene from the short animated film “Tangle” by Maliheh Gholamzadeh.

MMS/YAW