TEHRAN – Seven Iranian movies are competing in the 11th edition of the Liberation DocFest Bangladesh underway in Dhaka.

“Ahmad” by Azam Moradi and “Destiny” by Yaser Talebi have been selected to be screened in the international competition of the festival which will end today.

“Ahmad” is about Ahmad Arjamndi, who lost some physical and speaking abilities as a result of damage to his brain from childhood. However, he learns to cope with disability, and chases after his dreams in art.

“Destiny” follows 18-year-old Sahar who is left in charge of her poor, mentally challenged father in an isolated village in Iran after the death of her mother. Sahar dreams of attending university and becoming a doctor, but the extended family insists she plays the role of caregiver unless her father remarries. This warm and intimate observational documentary captures a young woman caught between traditional gender roles and her desire for self-determination, volleyball and Instagram.   

Five other films, including “Makeup Artist” by Jafar Najafi, are competing in the Cinema of the World category.

The film is about 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 to marry again, and the child belongs to the father. Mina decides to choose a wife for her husband by herself, to ensure that the stepmother treats and looks after Mina’s son properly.

This section also features “2132 People Are Watching” by Komeil Soheili, “Read Me, Unheard Narrations” by Puria Nuri, “She, Herself” by Navid Qadimi and “The Poet of Metallic Words” by Hamidreza Zeinali. 

The Liberation Docfest Bangladesh is a festival dedicated to documentary cinema, seeking to highlight the struggle for liberation and human rights of people in various parts of the world and its contemporary significance.

Photo: A poster for the Iranian documentary “Ahmad” by Azam Moradi.

MMS/YAW