TEHRAN – Seven mid-length documentaries by overseas filmmakers will be screened at the 15th edition of Iran’s Cinéma Vérité as the organizers announced the lineup for the category on Wednesday.

“The Wheel”, the winner of the IDFA award for best mid-length documentary 2020, is a highlight of the lineup.

Directed by Mongolian filmmaker Nomin Lkhagvasuren, this film explores why the descendants of invincible horseback warriors of Mongolia end their lives.

Italian filmmaker Jacopo Quadri’s “Ultimina” will also be screened in Cinéma Vérité, Iran’s major international festival for documentary films.

More than 80 years after her birth in Tuscany farming country, Ultimina looks back on a tough life in which men have always been the boss. But that hasn’t quelled her energy and rebellious nature one bit.

“Oh Dear Sara” by Spanish director Patricia Franquesa has also been selected to be screened.

Sara Bahai, the first female taxi driver and women’s rights activist in Afghanistan, is garnering recognition in the public sphere to which she has always aspired. However, her greatest conflict arises in her own home.

The lineup also includes Canada-based Iranian filmmaker Sanaz Sohrabi’s “One Image, Two Acts”.

This archival deep-dive analyzes the role of images produced in the 20th century by oil companies operating in Iran as part of British colonialism.

This category also features Polish director Piotr Stasik’s documentary “Altered States of Consciousness” about children with autism and Asperger’s syndrome.

The director has close contact with them and the camera, trying to reflect their peculiar perception. Observing the protagonists in different situations, in flashes of genius and moments of crisis, the documentary allows us to glance at their fascinating and unconventional minds.

“Landscape Zero” by Croatian filmmaker Bruno Pavic will also be screened.

A small coastal area has been destroyed by the presence of industrial facilities. The film follows the lives of 4 protagonists, who are either fighting for their own survival among these dangerous facilities or living in harmonious coexistence with them. Scenes from their everyday lives intertwine with different art performances and observations of life in the zone which depict the adjustment of people and animals to the degraded environment.

“Rhythms of Lost Time” from Tajikistan will also be competing in the festival.

Directed by Anisa Sabiri, the film is a journey through the most remote parts of Tajikistan, a young and little-known country, which cradles the last embers of an ancient culture.

Several Iranian films will also compete in this section of the festival, which will be held online from December 9 to 16.

Photo: A scene from Canada-based Iranian filmmaker Sanaz Sohrabi’s documentary “One Image, Two Acts”.

MMS/YAW