Focus on Iranian Cinema at the Durban International Film Festival

The 27 th Durban International Film Festival, taking place from 14 to 25 June, will present a focus on Iranian cinema. The focus will comprise of six Iranian films and the presence of three Iranian directors who will present their films and engage with festival audiences.

The films, by some of the most respected directors in Iran, are Offside , Full Or Empty, The Willow Tree, Iron Island , Poet Of The Wastes and Border Café .

“The festival has since its earliest days showcased the amazing cinematic contributions of Iran and it is really wonderful that we can celebrate Iranian cinema with this special focus in our 2006 edition,” says festival programmer Nashen Moodley.

“The presence of three great Iranian directors will also enhance this special focus of six films and will, we hope, lead to enlightening discussion about Iranian cinema and about the country in general.”

Offside , winner of the Jury Grand Prize at this year's Berlin Film Festival, is directed by Jafar Panahi and is a joyous and very funny comedy set around the soccer World Cup. A group of girls, disguised as boys to get around the Iranian law which bans woman from attending football games, attempt to sneak into a World Cup qualifier. They are caught and held in a pen tantalisingly close to the game. Panahi will attend the festival to present his intelligent comedy.

Abolfazl Jalili whose films Delbaran and Abjad have both won awards at the festival will also attend with his humorous masterpiece Full Or Empty about a young man who wants to be teacher but is thwarted by bureaucracy and prejudice.

Mohammad Rasoulof, whose Iron Island has received plaudits at festivals around the world, will present his bittersweet film about a group of impoverished people who live on an abandoned ship.

Programme booklets with the full screening schedule and synopses of all the films are available free at cinemas, Computicket, and other outlets. Full festival details can also be found on www.cca.ukzn.ac.za or by calling 031-2602506 or 2601650.

Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN) the Durban International Film Festival is funded by National Film & Video Foundation, National Lottery Distribution Fund, HIVOS, Stichting Doen, and the City of Durban , with support from the Royal Netherlands Embassy, French Embassy, British Council, and a range of valued partners.

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