TEHRAN – Three Iranian films will be competing in the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema, which opens today in the village of Idyllwild, California, the organizers have announced.

Acclaimed documentary “Atlan” directed by Moin Karimeddini and “An Unfinished Film for My Daughter Somayeh” by Morteza Payeshenas will be screened in a section for documentary films while “The Endless River” by Mohammad Mohammadian will vie for an award in the short film category.   

Iran’s Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC), which is the producer of “Atlan”, announced on Wednesday that the film has been nominated for the award for best director and best foreign-language documentary at the indie film festival.

“Atlan” tells the story of Ali, an Iranian Turkmen horse-riding instructor, and his horse Ilhad that has won him many prizes. Ali is planning to use all the awards Ilhad and his other horses have won for him to pay for his wedding.

The film won the best feature-length documentary award at the 4th FrontDoc International Film Festival in Aosta, Italy in November 2016.

It also received the award for best feature documentary at the Moondance International Film Festival in Boulder, Colorado in the U.S. in last September.

In 2014, the documentary won the award for best film at Cinéma Vérité, Iran’s international festival for documentaries, in Tehran.

“The Endless River” is about a young boy who is sitting next to a dried-up river, watching the barren land while fantasizing about fishing.

“An Unfinished Film for My Daughter Somayeh” tells the story of a Canada-based Iranian family whose daughter, Somayeh, is held in captivity in Iraq by the terrorist group Mujahedin Khalq.

The Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema runs until Jan. 15.

Photo: Ali and his horse, Ilhad, in a scene from “Atlan” 

MMS/YAW