TEHRAN – The cinematheque of the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) in Tehran will screen the 1989 Austrian psychological drama film “The Seventh Continent,” directed by Michael Haneke, on Sunday.

The screening is set for 6 p.m. at the Nasseri Hall of the IAF. The 108-minute film will be presented with Persian subtitles as the first installment of the series “In Condemnation of Violence”.

The film chronicles three years in the life of an Austrian family, which consists of Georg, an engineer; his wife Anna, an optometrist; and their young daughter, Eva. They lead a seemingly routine urban middle-class life, but are actually planning something sinister. The film was selected as the Austrian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academy Awards.

As Haneke’s debut feature film, “The Seventh Continent” is notable for scenes that many critics consider among the most terrifying in modern cinema—not because of overt excitement, but because of their emotional restraint and absence of sensationalism.

Michael Haneke, 84, is a German-born Austrian film director and screenwriter. His work often examines social issues and depicts the feelings of estrangement experienced by individuals in modern society. Haneke has made films in French, German, and English and has worked in television and theatre. He also teaches film direction at the Film Academy Vienna.

Haneke's first films were a trilogy, consisting of “The Seventh Continent” (1989), “Benny's Video” (1992), and “71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance” (1994), each of which depict a "coldly bureaucratic society in which genuine human relationships have been supplanted by a deep-seated collective malaise" and explore "the relationship among consumerism, violence, mass media, and contemporary alienation".

He went on to win the Cannes Film Festival's Grand Prix for “The Piano Teacher” (2001) as well as its Palme d'Or twice, for “The White Ribbon” (2009) and “Amour” (2012), the latter of which received five Academy Award nominations and won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Haneke also directed “Funny Games” (1997) and its 2007 remake, “Code Unknown” (2000), “Time of the Wolf” (2003), “Caché” (2005), and “Happy End” (2017).

As part of the “Selected Works of Michael Haneke” retrospective, four of Haneke’s films will be screened for cinema enthusiasts from May 31 to June 3 at the Iranian Artists Forum, located at the Artists Park, North Mousavi Street, Taleqani Street.

SS/SAB