TEHRAN – The Iranian movies “180° Rule”, “Witness” and “Asho” will go on screen at the BFI London Film Festival running from October 7 to 18.

“180° Rule” by Farnush Samadi will be screened in the Debate Section. The movie features a tragedy, which strikes at the heart of a wedding in the mountains overlooking Tehran. 

In “180° Rule”, a teacher from Tehran makes a choice that changes her family’s structure and puts her on a painful path to atonement.

Actress Sahar Dowlatshahi gives an extraordinary performance emphasizing the violence of the patriarchal strictures endured by mothers. Her silence speaks volumes and its impact is devastating.

The film’s title is a cinematic principle for maintaining a spatial balance between two characters on the screen. 

The short film “Witness” by Ali Asgari is an entry to the Secrets and Lies Section. It shows a mother who goes to a shopping mall and leaves her young daughter waiting in her car. Helping an elderly woman, she sets a chain of events in motion.

“Asho” by Jafar Najafi will be screened in the This Is the Rhythm of My Life Section. 

The film is a heart-warming short focusing on Asho, a cheerful young shepherd who loves films, dreams of being an actor and one day marrying Jodie Foster.

The BFI London Film Festival will feature over 50 virtual premieres, free online events and cinema screenings across the land.

Photo: A scene from “Witness” by Ali Asgari.

RM/MMS/YAW