TEHRAN – Iranian movies “Makeup Artist” and “The Doll” will be competing in the MDOC - Melgaço International Documentary Film Festival in Portugal.

“Makeup Artist” directed by Jafar Najafi will be screened in the feature-length film category and “The Doll” by Elaheh Esmaeili will be showcased in the short and medium-length film section.

The film follows Mina, a young woman who is in conflict with her husband as she wants to continue her education and go to university to become a makeup artist in cinema. Mina must divorce or, according to their local customs, allow her husband may marry again and the child belongs to the father. Mina decides to choose a wife for her husband by herself, to insure that the stepmother treats and looks after Mina’s son properly.

“Makeup Artist” has been screened at numerous international festivals and won several prizes, including the FIPRESCI Award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in the Netherlands.

The film also won the award for best feature-length documentary at the 15th Cinéma Vérité festival, Iran’s major international festival of documentary films.

In addition, Japan’s Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival honored it with its Award of Excellence.

The winner of the best short documentary award at the Canadian documentary festival Hot Docs in Toronto, “The Doll” is about 14-year-old Asal, whose father consents to her marriage. Through a series of astoundingly frank interviews, the secrets and indiscretions of Asal’s father are slowly revealed and his true intentions come to light.

The MDOC - Melgaço International Documentary Film Festival will take place from August 1 to 7 by screening dozens of movies from across the world.

The festival aims to promote and disseminate ethnographic and social cinema, looking for films that demonstrate the author’s point of view on social, individual and cultural issues related to identity, memory and borders.

Photo: A scene from “Makeup Artist” directed by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Najafi.

MMS/YAW