TEHRAN – Iranian films “Israfil”, “Titi”, “Sultan” and “Standing in the Dust” were screened at the 17th International Snow Film Festival in Erzurum, Turkey, last week.

The festival is organized annually by the Faculty of Communication at Atatürk University at the Nenehatun Cultural Center from December 23 to 25.

Several screenings were arranged for “Israfil” and “Titi”, both directed by Ida Panahandeh, who also along with co-writer Arsalan Amiri attended reviews sessions held during the festival.  

“Israfil” follows a relationship between Mahi and Behruz. When Mahi’s son dies in a car accident, Behruz, who has returned to Iran to sell his properties, attends the funeral. Their old romance catches up while Behruz has planned to marry Sara and go back to Canada with her.

“Titi” is about Ebrahim, a physicist who is about to prove a thesis about the end of the world. He meets Titi, a weird surrogate mother who wants to preserve humanity and make a room of her own.

Ebrahim is suffering from a terminal illness in a hospital where Titi works. Taking a liking to Titi, he explains his work to her, and she believes that it is essential to the future of the planet. When he slips into a coma, his wife demands that his papers be discarded, but Titi takes them home, where her husband lines his rabbit cages with them. Eight months pregnant as a surrogate for a childless couple, Titi wanders into the sea, where her mystical powers manage to bring the professor back to life. As he searches for the papers she took, he enters Titi’s world, and nothing will ever be the same.

“Sultan”, a documentary by Saadatali Saeidpur about Sultan Daghi ritual in Iran’s East Azarbaijan, was also reviewed.

“Standing in the Dust” by Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian tells the life story of Ahmad Motevasselian, an IRGC commander who was kidnapped by the Zionist regime in 1982 in Lebanon.

“We intention is to contribute to the development of interest in cinema, particularly in our city and in our country in general, at the Snow Film Festival,” Faculty of Communication Dean Adem Yilmaz said last week before the opening of the festival.

“On this occasion, we would like to thank those who have contributed to the organization of our festival, which we believe will be the scene of colorful images this year, as in all the years it has been held, and we welcome everyone who is interested in cinema and art to our event,” he added.

Photo: Parsa Piruzfar acts in a scene from “Titi” directed by Ida Panahandeh. 

MMS/YAW