TEHRAN – Seven hits from the world’s documentary cinema will be reviewed during the Cinéma Vérité festival in the Special Screenings category.

“Gorbachev. Heaven”, a co-production between Latvia and Czech, is one of the films.

The film features an interview with former USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev, one of the most influential figures of the last century, whose rule heralded the end of the Soviet Union. In an intimate setting, he gives his view of Russia then and now.

Vitaliy Manskiy won the IDFA award for best director for this film.

Another highlight of the films is “Nemesis” directed by Thomas Imbach from Switzerland.

The film explores the destruction of a unique train station in Zurich and the construction of the new prison and police center in its place. From the perspective of the filmmaker’s window, and with testimony from prisoners awaiting deportation, the film probes how we deal with the extinction of history and its replacement with total security.

The film directed by Thomas Imbach has won awards at several international festivals, including the best film award at the Zurich Film Awards 2020.

Danish filmmaker Robin Petré’s “From the Wild Sea” will also be screened in this section. This film takes a look at the relationships between humans and wild animals of the ocean.

“Sabaya” by Swedish filmmaker Hogir Hirori has also been selected for the category.

The film follows a group into Syria’s Al-Hol, a dangerous camp in West Asia, as they risk their lives to save women being held by ISIS as abducted sex slaves.

The film was named best documentary feature film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2021.

“President”, the winner of the Special Jury Award in Verite Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival 2021, will also be reviewed.

Directed by the Danish filmmaker Camilla Nielsson, the film is about a young and charismatic leader who takes on the corrupt ruling party in Zimbabwe’s 2018 presidential election.

“Nothing But the Sun”, a co-production of Switzerland, Paraguay and Argentina by Arami Ullon, and “Ostrov - Lost Island” by Swiss filmmakers Svetlana Rodina and Laurent Stoop have also been selected to be screened.

“Nothing But the Sun” follows Mateo Sobode Chiqueno and his recorded stories, songs and testimonies of his Ayoreo people on an old tape recorder.

“Ostrov - Lost Island” tells the story the inhabitants on the island of Ostrov in the Caspian Sea, which survive through poaching after being left alone by the Russian state after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The 15th edition of Cinéma Vérité, the major Iranian international festival for documentary films, will be held online from December 9 to 16.

Photo: “Sabaya” by Swedish filmmaker Hogir Hirori.

MMS/YAW