TEHRAN – Seven restored classic hits from world cinema are scheduled to be screened in the Classics Preserved section of the 36th Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran, the organizers announced on Friday.

“A Touch of Zen”, a 1971 wuxia film directed by King Hu, which won the Technical Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1975, is among the films. The film is a co-production between Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Another highlight of the films is “Gate of Hell”, a 1953 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Teinosuke Kinugasa. It recounts the story of a samurai who tries to marry a woman he rescues, only to discover that she is married.

“The Rise and Fall of a Small Film Company” by French director Jean-Luc Godard has also been selected. The film is about filmmaker Gaspard Bazin who is preparing a new feature film, so he urgently needs to find funding. And, although he asked for help from a fashion producer, Bazin is now in the lurch, because of how complicated the money has become. His wife, Eurydice, dreams of being a movie star, so between themselves, the producer and the director create a game to please the woman.

Russian director Karen Shakhnazarov’s 1991 political drama “The Assassin of the Tsar” will also be screened. The film is about a Soviet doctor who treats a schizophrenic who insists he killed Nicholas II and family in 1918.

Among the films are also “Picnic at Hanging Rock” by Australian director Peter Weir, “Adele Hasn’t Had Her Dinner Yet” by Czech director Oldrich Lipsky and “A Generation” by Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda.

The 36th Fajr International Film Festival will be held from April 19 to 27.

Photo: A scene from “A Touch of Zen”, a 1971 wuxia film directed by King Hu

MMS/YAW