TEHRAN – Iranian movies “Subtraction”, “Summer with Hope” and “File” will be screened at the 66th BFI London Film Festival, which will take place from October 5 to 16.

Directed by Mani Haqiqi, “Subtraction” follows driving instructor Farzaneh, when she spots her husband on the streets of Tehran, even though he is supposed to be out of town on a business trip, she naturally suspects the worst. Following him, Farzaneh’s fears are seemingly confirmed when she sees him visiting another woman. With that woman’s husband also suspecting something is awry, the situation erupts into violence. Yet, all is not quite what it seems. 

Taraneh Alidoosti and Navid Mohammadzadeh deliver compelling, psychologically driven performances in Haqiqi’s highly anticipated follow-up to his black comedy “Pig”.

“Summer with Hope”, director-screenwriter Sadaf Forughi’s second feature, is an intimate family drama that cements the filmmaker’s position as an exciting voice in contemporary Iranian cinema.

Talented teen swimmer Omid travels with his mother and uncle from their home in Tehran to the Caspian Sea, where he intends to compete in the national team qualifiers. But a bureaucratic mishap threatens Omid’s participation. Frustrations turn to anger, revealing bitter resentments that lie beyond the 17-year-old’s sporting ambitions. 

Paying keen attention to the minutiae of the dynamic between Omid and the adults in his life, the astutely observed details hint at the profound rupture that the film gradually journeys towards. 

In “File”, a short directed by Sonia Haddad, a six-year-old boy’s speech disorder is unexpectedly investigated when his mother takes him for a routine pre-school health screening.

The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with cooperation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shorts from approximately 50 countries.

Photo: Taraneh Alidoosti acts in a scene from “Subtraction”.

MMS/YAW