TEHRAN – Over 180 movies from overseas filmmakers have been selected to compete in the 12th edition of the Tehran International Animation Festival as the organizers unveiled the official lineup on Saturday.

In addition, 36 movies by Iranian filmmakers will be screened in the international competition of the festival, which will be organized from March 6 to 10 after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA - Kanoon) announced.

The films have been selected from among over 1000 submissions from Iranian and overseas filmmakers.

The animations come from South Korea, Chile, Poland, the Netherlands, Czech, Japan, China, France, Austria, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Brazil and dozens of other countries.

“Lajka” by Czech director Aurel Klimt and “The Nose or Conspiracy of Mavericks” by Russian director Andrey Khrzhanovskiy are the sole two feature animations in the international competition. 

Klimt’s movie shows that life is not easy for Laika, a dog on the outskirts of a big Russian city. She is caught and forcibly retrained to become a pioneer in astronautics. Soon after her lift-off into space, a number of animals follow that are hurriedly launched from Houston and Baikonur. The animals manage to colonize a faraway planet. After a short period of harmonious, undisturbed co-existence with indigenous life forms, however, first human cosmonaut runs ashore on their planet, and they are suddenly in jeopardy.

“The Nose or Conspiracy of Mavericks” is a cheerful grim look at the follies of the twentieth century, anchored in Gogol’s proto-surrealist novella, “The Nose”, and Shostakovich’s opera of the same name.

In addition, 89 short movies by overseas filmmakers are competing in the international section.

“My Generation” by French director Ludovic Houplain is a highlight of the shorts.

This film is a panoramic vision of Pop Culture as a landscape, divided by a never-ending road where art, politics, sport, finance, generalized surveillance and ubiquitous computing are all entangled.

“Good Intentions” by Anna Mantzaris is another highlight of the lineup. It is a small thriller about people that are not always the best at making decisions. After being a woman who was responsible for a hit and run, spooky things start to happen to her.

Photo: A poster for the 12th Tehran International Animation Festival.

MMS/YAW