TEHRAN – Iranian child labor drama “Sun Children” has been picked as best feature at the Shahr International Film Festival.

Winners of the eighth edition of the festival, which is organized every year by the Municipality of Tehran, were honored at Vahdat Hall on Friday evening. 

Directed by Majid Majidi, the film depicts the rough-and-tumble streets of Tehran where Ali and his crew of adolescent street urchins are recruited by a crime boss to steal some treasure buried beneath a local school. The kids will have to enroll in the school to gain access to the tunnels underneath. With the plan set in motion, these juvenile miscreants are soon exposed to a different kind of education.

“Market” by Indian director Pradip Kurbah received an honorable mention in this section. The film portrays the lives of everyday people with everyday stories, not dignified as heroes, but nevertheless people who make the lives of each other better.

“Lone Wolf”, a co-production between Argentina and Belgium by Javier Beltramino, was named best short fiction film.

It tells the story of an immigrant who has promised his young son to talk to the teacher about an unfair scolding. He tries unsuccessfully to communicate in a language that he does not speak, but it is not the only disappointment he faces that day.

The award for best documentary feature was given to The Turkish-Japanese film “Kodokushi”.

Directed by Ensar Altay, the film tells the story of Norihito, who works at a company that cleans up the houses of people who die alone. He begins to question his own life and past due to all the lonely deaths he sees.

The award for best short documentary went to “Homebound”, an animated documentary by Indonesian filmmaker Ismail Fahmi Lubis.

In this film, Tari longs to return home to Indonesia after working abroad in Taiwan for more than 10 years. When the COVID-19 pandemic strikes her plans unravel, revealing a lack of rights for vulnerable migrant workers and systemic misinformation.

The short animated movie “Mondo Domino” by French director Suki was awarded as best animation. 

In a deafening noise of chainsaws, loggers happily hum as they cut down trees to be used as decor for a fashion show. A contemporary satire in the form of a musical comedy and burlesque action, the cartoon leads us into a dizzying whirlwind of chain reactions as chaotic as they are grotesque.

The Urban Film Award was given to “Isatis”, a documentary by Alireza Dehqan about one man’s journey to the desert in central Iran.

In the national competition, the jury granted the Urban Film Award to screenwriter Pejman Teimurtash for “Lady of the City” directed by Maryam Bahrololumi.

Also known as “Shahrbanoo”, the film follows Shahrbanoo, a woman who has been sentenced to life in prison for being a drug mule. After eleven years in jail, she is released from prison for a few days to attend her son’s wedding. The temporary freedom helps her see a new aspect of her life and that of her family before returning to prison.

Javad Ezzati was named best actor for his role in “The Loser Man” directed by Mohammad-Hossein Mahdavian, while Setareh Pesyani was picked as best actress for her role in “Yadoo” directed by Mehdi Jafari. 

The award for best film went to “Private Meeting” and “Sun Children”, both produced by Amir Banan.

Photo: Javad Ezzati (2nd L) accepts the best actor award for his role in “The Loser Man” during the 8th Shahr International Film Festival at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall on July 22, 2022. (Honaronline/Mohammad Namazi)
  
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